MIS WADLE IGH S G U EST

1 2 1

back over her quilt e d p e tticoat

I thought
that would be th e way o n t but I d made up
my mind t o com e an com e I would Cyrus

what s the matter 0 yo u ? Nothin mor e n a

cold is it ?
Cyrus had withdrawn fro m the stove and
was fe e ling his chin unc e rtainly

Oh no I guess not he said

We V e
been kind 0 p e aked for a week or two all ov e r
the n e ighborhood ; but I guess we shall com e
now we ve got into the sp r i ng
ou t
on t
M i ran d y you git m e a mite 0 hot wate r an

I ll s e e i f I can t shave
M i ra n d y wa s vigorously washing potatoes at the
sink but she turn e d in ever ready remonstrance

Shav e 1 sh e ejaculated
Well I guess y o u
won t shave such a day as this in that cold bed
room with a st oc k i n l e g round your throat
an all ! You want to g i t your d e ath ? Why
twas only last night Marthy he had a hemlock
s w eat an all the ginger tea I could git down
into him 1 An then I didn t know

Law ! l e t him alone

said Marthy with
a comfortable throaty laugh
He ll feel twice
as w e ll git som e 0 the m things o ff his neck
Her e Cyrus you reach m e down your mug
ain t them your sh av i n things up there ? a n
I ll ll it for you
You git him a piece 0
ann e l M i ra n d y t o put on when h e s wash e d
up an took all that stuff o ff his throat Why
.

M E A D O W G RA S S
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NEW

T A LE S O F
E N G LA N D L I F E B Y
A LI C E

B RO

B O S TO

WN

N
C O P E LA N D A N D D A Y
M DC CC! C V

PUBLIC

'

I T T H O U S A N D JU LY I 8 9 5
S E C O N D T H O U S A N D S EP T EM B E R
F RS

89 5

N T E R E D A CC O R D I N G T o T H E A C T O F
C O N G R ES S I N T H E Y E A R 1 8 9 5 B Y
C O P E LA N D A N D DA Y IN T H E O F F I C E
OF
TH E
LI B R A R I A N
OF
C O N G RESS
A T W A S H IN G TON
E

TO M
L

O VE R

OF

W OO D S

AND

I E LD

AND S EA

N U M B E R F IV E

E w h o are Tiverton born though fals e

ambition may have ridd e n us to market
o r th e world s voice incited us to kindred clam
oring have a way o f shutting o ur eyes now and
then to present change s and seeing things as
th e y were once as th e y are still in a certain
s le e py yet altogeth e r individual corner o f coun
try l i fe And esp e cially do we delight in o n e
bit of ne m ental tracery etch e d car e lessly yet
for all time so far as our own short span is con
cerne d by the unerring stylus o f youth ! th e
outline o f a little red schoolhou se distinguished
from th e other S imilar structures within Tiver
ton bounds by District N o
painted on a
shingle in primitive black letters and nail ed
aloft over the door U p t o the very hollow
which made its playground and we e dy garden
the road was elm border e d and line d with fair
meadows skirted in th e background by shadowy
pines so soft th e y did not ev e n wave 3 they only
se e m e d to breath e The tr e asure s of the road
O n either side the way was plume d and pa ve d
with beautie s so rare that now dishearten e d
d w ell e rs in city streets we covetously con over
,

M E AD O WGR A SS

in m emory that roaming walk t o school an d

home again We know it now for what it was
a daily progress o f d elight We s e e again the
o l d watering trough
d e cayed into the m ellow
loveliness o f gray lichen and gre e n e st moss
H ere b eside the d i tch whence the water ow e d
grew the pale forget m e not and sticky star
blossomed cleavers
A step farther b e yond
the nook where the spring bubbled rst w e re
the riches of the common roadway ; and over
the gray lichen bearded fence the growth o f
stubbly upland pasture
Everywhere in road
and pasture too thronged milkwe e d o d orous
haunt o f the be e and those frailest butt e ri e s of
the year born o f o n e family with d rifting blos
soms and straightly tall th e solitary mullein
dust cov e red but crowned with a gold softer
and more to b e d e sir e d than the pride o f kings
P e rhaps the carriage folk from th e outer world
w h o som etim es penetrate Tiverton s leafy quiet
may wond e r at th e queer little enclosures of
sticks and p ebble s o n m any a bare tr e e shaded

slop e along the road

Left there from some
gam e
they s ay t o o n e another and drive on
satis ed But these are no mere discarded play
things dear ignorant travellers I They are tokens
o f the mimic earnest with which child life is
ever se eking to sober itself and rushing u n su m
m on e d into the workaday e lds o f an aimlessly
frantic world Th ey are houses and the stone
.

N UM BER FI V E

boundaries are walls This tre e stump is a n

armchair this board a velvet sofa N ot m ore

truly is this thorn bush my thorn bush ; and

this dog my dog

Across the road at easy running distanc e
from th e schoolhouse at noontim e o r re cess

crawled the little river with its inevitabl e hole

which e ach mother s so n was warned to avoid in
swimming lest h e be seized with cramp there
where the pool was bottomle ss
What eerie
wonders lurked within th e mirror o f those shallow
brown waters ! Lo n g black hairs cleaved and
clung in their limpid owing To this day I
know not whethe r th e y w e re horse hairs far
from home or swaying willow roots the boys

said th e y were truly hairs o f the kind de s

tined to become snakes in their last estat e 5 and
the girls listening shivered with all Mother
Eve s premonitory thrill along the backbone
Wish bugs too w e re here skimming and dart
ing The peculiarity o f a wish bug is that h e
will bestow upon you your heart s desire if only
you hold him in the hand and wish But the
impossible premise d efeats the conclusion You
n e ver do hold him long enough simply becaus e
o
u
can t catch him in the rst place Yet the
y
fascinating possibility i s like a taste fo r drink
o r the glamour of cards
D oes the committee
man drive past to S ud l e i gh market suggesting
the prospect of a leisurely return that aftern oon
.

M E AD O W GR A S S

and consequent dropping in to hear the geog

Then do the laziest and most
r a p h y class ?
optimistic b oys betake the m hastily from their
dinner pails to th e river and spend their pre
C i o u s nooning in que st o f the potent bug through
whos e spell the unwelcome visit may be averted
The time s o squandered i n riotous gaming might

have xed th e afternoon s N orth Poles and

Equators triumphantly i n mind to the ever

lasting d eance o f all ali e n qu estioning but no 1
for human delight lie s ever in the unattainable
Th e co mmitt e e man com es like N em e sis a q u a
m
e
th
e
le
sson
is
unlearned
and
the
stern
p
b re d little teach e r ord ers o u t the rack known
as staying after school But what durance b e
yond hours in the ind e scribably desolate school
roo m ever taught mortal boy to shun the
delusive insect created for his special undoing ?
So long as the heart has woes o f its o w n bre ed
ing s o long also will it dodge the discipline o f
labor and grasp at the icker o f an easy
success
O n either side the little bridge !over which
hors e s pounde d with an ominous thunder and a
rain o f dust on the head o f him who ling e red
beneath the sle e pers in a fearsome j oy ) the
m eadows w e re pranked with purple iris and
whispering rush e s mingling each its sweetness
with th e good rank sm ell o f mud below H ere
were the tre asure s o f the water course close
-

N UM B ER F I VE

hidden or blowing in the light o f day The

pale golden h e art e d arrow head neighbored the
homespun pick e rel weed and o h myst e rious
glory from an oozy bed luscious su n golden
cow lilies rose sturdily triumphant dripping with
c olor glowing in sheen The button bush hung
out her balls and white alder painted the air
with faint perfume 3 willow herb built her bow
e ry arches and the ags were ever glancing like
swords of roistering kn i ghts Thes e ags be it
known to such as have grown up in grievous

ignoranc e of the lore inseparable from de e s

trick school
hold the most practical s ign i
cance in the mind of boy and girl ; for they
bring forth !I know we thought for our delight
alone 1) a d e licacy known as a g buds ever
lastingly dear to the childish palate
The s e
were devoure d by the wholesale in the ir s eason
and little mouths gr e w oozy green a s those o f
happy beasties in June fro m much champing
and chewing D id we lose our appetite for th e
d e lectable dinner pail through such literal going
to pasture ? I think not Taste s were elastic
in those days 3 and Nature s o bullied durst
seldom revolt
O n on e side the nearest neighbor to the
school lived at least a mile away ; but o n the
oth e r the rst h ouse o f all owned treasures
manifold for the little squad who though the
day were wet or dry fair or frowning trotted
,

M EAD O WGRA SS

thithe r at noon H ere were tree s under which

lay in happy season ove r rip e Bartlett p ears 3
here too was one mulberry tre e wh e reof the
suggestion was strange and wond erful and the
fruit less a p p e a l i n g t o taste than to a mystical
fancy But outsid e the bank wall gr e w the

f
balm o Gileads in a stately benevolent row
tre es o f healing of fragrance and romantic
charm
N o child ever sought the ol d hom e to
beg pe ars and mulberries o r to ll the school
house pail at its dark bosomed well without
b earing away a few of the leaves in a covetous
grasp Sweet treasure trove these to be presse d
to fre sh young faces and held and patt e d in
hot little palms till they grew abby but ever
more fragrant still di ffusing over the dusty
schoolroom that warm odor whispering to those
who read no corner but their o w n N e w Eng
land o f the myrrh and balsam s o f the East
We knew everything in those days we aimless
knights errant with dinner pail and slate 3 the
dry frosty hollow whe re gentians bloom when
the pride o f the eld is over the woody S lope s
o f th e h e patica s awakening und e r coverl e t of
withere d leaves and the sunny banks where Vi o
lets love t o live with their good goss i p t h e
tre mbling anemone At noon we rov e d abroad
into solitudes s o d e ep that even our unsusp ect
ing hearts sometimes quake d with fear of dark
and lonesomeness 3 and then we came trooping
.

M EAD O W
GRA SS

p a ss 3 many a brilliant caree r ingloriously ended

There was Sam M arshall H e could do su ms
to the admiration o f class and teacher and
C uvier lik e evolve an e ntire ock from Col
burn s two ge e se and a half His m e mory was
prodigious
H e could nam e the Pre s i dents
bound the State s and Territories and rattle o ff
the list of prepositions s o fast that you could
almost s e e the spark showe r fro m his rushing
whe els of thought It was an understood thing
among u s wh e n Sam was in his teens that h e
should at least enter the Senate 3 p e rhaps he
would even be Pr e sident and scatt e r o fc e s like
halfp ence among his scamp e ring townsmen But
to day h e pati e ntly does h i s haying b y hand
and goe s sl e d d i n
in t h e winter The S e nate
is as far from him as the Polar Star and I
que stion whe ther he could even b e ar the crucial
test o f two ge ese and a half Yet I still look
upon him with a thr i ll o f awe as the man se
l e c t e d by the popular vote to re present us in
fam e s V alhalla and mysteriously d e fe ated by

som e unexp e cted move o f the unseen hand

at a game
Th e re were a coupl e of boys such good com
rades as n e v e r to b e happy save when togeth e r
They care d only for th e gam es made for two 3
all th e ir goods w e r e tac i tly h e ld in common
and a tradition still liv e s that David when a
new teacher asked his exact age C laimed h i s
.

N UM B ER F I VE

comrade s birthday, and th e n wondered why

ev e rybody laughed Th e y had a way o f wan
d ering off tog e th e r to the woods on Saturday
mornings when the routine o f chores could b e
hurri e d through and always they b ore with the m
a store o f e ggs appl e s or swe e t corn to be
cooke d in happy seclu sion All this raw mate
rial was stolen from the respective haylofts and
gard e ns at hom e though as th e fathers owned
with an appreciative grin the boys might hav e
taken it openly for th e asking That how e ver
would s o hav e alloy e d the charm of gypsying
that it was not to be thought o f for a moment 3
and th e y cr e pt about o n their foraging exp e di
tions with all th e caution of a hostil e tribe
Blessed fathers and mothers to wink at the esca
pade and happy boys wise chi e y in their
longing t o be fre e ! We had a theory that
Jonathan and D avid would go into business
together Perhaps we thought of them in the
sam e country store their chairs tilt e d o n either
sid e o f the air tight stov e telling stories in the
int e rvals o f custom as they apparently did in
the i r earlie r estate
For s h y as th ey were in
general company they chatted together with an
intense earnestness all day long 3 and it was one
o f the stock questions i n
o u r n e ighborhood
when the social light burned low

What under the sun d o you s pose D av e

and J on t nd to talk about ?


M E AD O W GR A SS

IO

Alas again the world had builde d foolishly 3

for with e arly manhood they fell in lov e with
the sam e round che e ke d school teacher J ona
than marri e d her after what wrench o f fe e ling
I know not 3 and the other ed to the town
whence h e never returned save for the briefe st
visit at Thanksgiving or C hristmas tim e
Th e
stay at hom e lad is a warm farmer and the
little school teacher a mothe r whose unlined fac e
S hows the record o f a placid life 3 but David
cannot know even this save by h earsay for he
never s e e s th e m H e is a moneyed man and
not a year ago gave th e town a new library But
is he happy ? O r do e s th e o l d wound still S how
a ragged e dge ? For that may be they t e ll us

even when you com e t o forty y e ar

Then clad in brighter vestments of memory
there was the lad who earned unto himself much
r enown even among his disapproving relative s
by running away from hom e in quest of gold
and glory Tru e he was brought back at the
end of thr e e days footsore and muddy and with
noble appetite for the griddle cake s h i s mother
cooked h i m in lieu o f the traditional veal
but
all undaunt e d
H e never tri e d it again yet
p eople say h e has thrown away all his chances
o f a thrifty living by perpetual wand e ring in th e
woods with gun and sh i n g rod and that he is
cursed with a d e plorable indifference to the
state o f his fences and potato patch
N o on e
,

N UM BER FI V E

1 1

could call him an admirable citizen but I am

not sure that he h a s chosen the wors e r part 3 for
who is so j ovial and sympathetic on a winter
evening when the apples ar e pass e d and eve n
the shining cat purrs content before the blaze
o r in the wood solitudes familiar to him as his
own house door ?

he said o n e spring
P a t ri d ge s nests ?
with a cock of h i s eye calculated to show at
once a humorous recognition of his genius and
his d elinquenci e s
Sartain ! I wish I was as
sure wh e re I ke e p my scythe sned
He has learned all the lore o f the woods the

ways of wild critters and the most e f c a

Pri m
c i o u s means both to w oo and kill th e m
spinsters eye him acridly as a man give n over
to sh i f l e ss ways and wives s e t him up like
a lurid guid e post before husbands prone to lapse
from domestic thrift 3 but th e dogs smile at
him and children for whom he is ever ready
to make kite o r dory though all his hay should
m ildew o r to string thimbl e berries on a grass
spear while supper cools within tumble m e rrily
at his he els S uch as he should never assume
domestic relations to b e fett e red with require
ments of time and place L e t th e m rather
clai m maintenance from a grateful public and
live like troubadours o f old ministrant to the
general j oy
N ot all the m emorie s o f that early day
,


W
M EAD O
GR A SS

1 2

are quite unspotted by remorse Although we

wore the mask o f j ocund face s and s t ra igh t fo r
ward glance we little p e ople repeatedly p r o
claim ed ourselve s the Victims o f Adam s fall
Even then we n e eded to pray for deliv e ranc e
fro m those passions which h ave since pursued
u s Th ere was the little bound girl who liv e d
with a s el e c m an s wife a woman with chil
dr e n o f her own but a hard taskmistress to the
strange r within her gates Poor litt l e Polly !
her clothe s m ade over from thos e o f h er m i s
tress were o f dark ro u gh annel often in
uncouth plaids and appalling stripes Her p e t
t i c oa t s were dyed o f a sickly hue known as
c u db a r and sh e wore heavy woollen stocki n gs
Polly go t up early to milk
o f th e same shade
a n d drive the cows 3 she s e t the table wash e d
m i l k p an s and r a n hither and thither o n h e r
sturdy c u d b a r legs always willing som etimes
singing and ofte n with a mute qu e stioning look
o n h e r little freckled face as if s h e had alrea d y
b e gun t o wond er why it has pleased God to s e t
so many boundary lines over w h ich the fe eble

a heavy
Th e s e l ec m a n s son
m ay n o t pass
faced greedy boy was a bully and Polly b e
came his butt 3 she did his tasks hectored by him
in private and with a child s strange retic ence
s h e never told even us how unbearable h e made
he r life We could se e it however 3 for not much
re mains hidde n in that communistic atmosphere
.

N UM BER F I VE

the country neighborhood But sometimes

Polly revolted 3 h e r temp er blazed up a harm
less ash in the pan and then it was said Mis
Jeremiah took her to the sh e d chamber and
trounc e d her soundly I mys e lf have seen her
sitting at the little low window when I trotted
by in the prid e o f young life t o borry som e

emptin s o r the r e cipe for a new cake O ften

s h e waved a timid hand t o m e 3 an d I am glad
to r e m e mber a certa i n sunny morning i l l u m i
n at e d
now because I tossed he r up a bright
hollyhock in return
It was littl e to give o u t O f
a full and happy d ay 3 but Polly had nothing
Onc e s h e came near gr e at good fortune
and
miss e d it F o r a lady who board ed a few weeks
in the neighborhood took a fancy t o Polly and
was stirred to outspoken wrath by ou r tale s o f
the severity o f her life She gave her a pretty

pink cambric dress and Polly wore it o n last

day at the end o f the summ e r term She

was evid ently absorb e d in love o f it and s at
smoothing its shiny surface with he r little
cracked hand s o O b l l Vi O l l S to the requirements
o f th e occasion that s h e only looked up dazed
wh e n the teacher told h e r to describe t h e Ama
zon River and unregr e tfully l e t the question
pass Th e lady meant to take Polly away with
h er but s h e fell sick with erysipelas in the fa ce
and was hurri e d o ff t o the city to b e nursed

a sight to behold as everybody said An d

of

M EAD OWGR A SS

14

wheth er she died or whether she got well and

We only
forgot Polly none o f us ever heard
knew s h e did not return bringing the odor o f
violets an d the rustle o f starched p etticoats into
ou r placid live s
But all th e se thoughts o f Polly would be less
wearing when they co me in th e night time
knocking at the heart if I could only remember
her as glowing under the sympathy and loving
kindness o f her little m ates Alas ! it was n o t
We were senseless little brut e s who never
so
having learne d the taste of misery ourselves had
no pity for the misfortun e s of others She was
inde e d ill treated 3 but what were we to trans
late th e phrase ? She was an under dog and

we had no m e rcy on her We plagued he r

God forgiv e us ! And what the word m eans
in its full h orror only a Child c a n compass We
laugh e d at her cu d b ar p e tt i coats her little

chopped hand s 3 and when sh e stumbled over

the arithmetic lesson because sh e had bee n up
at four o clock every morning S ince th e rst
bluebirds cam e we laughed at that
Life in
general se ems to have treated Polly in so mewhat
th e sam e way
I hear that sh e did not marry
well and that h er children had begun to turn

when s h e died prematurely bent and

o u t bad
But when I think o f
ol d not many weeks ago
what we might have given and what we did
withhold when I realize that one drop o f water
,

'

W
M E AD O
GR A SS

those tre mbling half thoughts o f the sle ep o f

the ye ar and its awakening
we have not e s
cap e d the m by leaving the routine that brought
the m forth We kno w when the rst violets ar e
blowing in th e wood s and we paint for ou r
selves the tasselling o f th e alde r and the red of
mapl e buds We taste still the sting of check
e r b erry and woodsy avor o f th e fragrant birch
When elds o f corn are shimmering i n the sun
we know exactly how it would see m to run
through tho se dusty aisles sw e pt by that silken
drap ery and c ouns e ll e d in whisp e rs from th e
plumy tops so far above o u r heads
The
ground sparrow s nest is not s trange to us 3 no
nor the partridge s hidden treasure within th e
wood We can make pu d ding bags o f live for

ever dolls bonn e ts trimmed up t o the nines

out of the velvet mullein l e af and from th e o x
eyed daisies round cap begirt fac e s smiling as
the su n
All th e homely secrets o f rural life
are ours ! the taste o f pie c i nnamon avo re d
from the dinner pails at noon ; the smell o f

pears a
at that happi e st hour when
in t h e early dusk we tumbl e into the kitchen
to nd the tabl e s e t and the stove redolent of

warmth and s avor

What you got for su p

p er ? we cry
question to be paralleled in
the summ er days by
What d you have for

dinne r ? as famishe d little bears we rush t o

the dairy wheel to feed ravenously o n the
-

N UM B ER F I VE

cold delicious fragments o f the me al eaten

without u s
I f time ever stood still if we were condemned
to the blank solitude o f hospital nights or b e
calmed mid ocean days and had hours for
fruitl e ss dr e aming I wonder what viands we
should choos e in setting forth a banquet from
that ambrosial past
Foods unknown to poetry

and song ! cold b iled dish

pan dowdy o r
rye drop cake s dripping with butter For these
d o we taste in moments o f retrosp ect 3 and p er
haps we dw e ll the more o n th ei r homely savor
because we dare not think what hands prepared
the m for our u s e o r when the board was se t
what faces smiled We are too wise with the
cunning prudence o f the years t o penetrate
over far beyond the rosy boundary o f youth
lest we nd also that bitter pool which i s n ot
L ethe, b ut the waters o f a vain regre t
,

F ARME R

E LI S

V A CAT I O N

T don t se em as if we

re ally got round t o

it do es it father ? aske d M r s Pike

The west w a s paling and the August insects
stirre d the air with their crooning chirp
Eli
and his wife s a t toge ther o n the washing bench
outside th e back door waiting for the milk to
c ool before it should be strained She was a
large comfortable woman with an u nlined face
and sm ooth ne auburn hair ; he was spare
and som ewhat bent with curly iron gray locks
g rowing thin and crow s feet about his de e p set
gray eyes H e had be en smoking the pip e of
twilight contentment b u t n o w he took it ou t
and laid it o n the b ench be side him uncrossing
his l e gs and stra i ghtening himself with the air o f
a man to whom it falls after long pondering, to
take some d ecisive st e p
N o ; it don t se em as if twas go in to hap

pen
he owned
It looke d pretty dark t o
m e all last week I t s a good d e al o f an u n
I dunno s
d e r t a k i n com e t o think it all over
I care about go i n
,

F A R M ER E L I S VA C AT I O N

Why f ather ! After you v e thought about

it so many y e ars an Sereno s got the tents
strapped up an all ! You must b e crazy

Well said th e farme r gently as he rose

and w e nt to carry the milk pails into the pantry
calling coaxingly as h e did so
Kitty ! kitty !
You had your m i lk ? D on t you j oggl e now
For o n e eager tabby ros e on her hind legs in
purring haste and hit her nose against t h e
foam i ng saucer
Mrs Pike came ponderously to h e r feet and
followed with the heavy swaying motion o f on e
grown e shy and rheumatic She was not in
the l e ast concerned about Eli s change o f mood
H e was a gentle soul and sh e had al w ays be en
able to guide him in paths o f her o w n c hoosing
Moreover the present undertaking was on e
involving his ow n good fortune and S h e meant
t o tolerate no foolish scrupl e s which might i n
For Eli though he had
t e r fe r e with its result
lived all his life within ea s y driving distance o f
the oc e an had never se en it and ever since h i s
boyhood he had cherished o n e darling plan
some day he would go to the shore and camp
This in his starved i m
o ut th e re for a week
a gi n a t i o n was like a d ream o f the Acropolis t o
an artist stricken blind o r as mountain outlines
to the dwelle r in a lonely plain But the year s
had i t te d past and the dream never se emed
ne arer comple tion
There were always plant

'

M E AD O WGRA SS

20

ing haying and harvesting t o b e considered ;

and though he was fairly prosperous excursions
were foreign to hi s simple habit o f life Bu t at
last his wife had stepp ed into the van and
organize d an e xp edition with all the valor of
a Francis D rake

N ow don t y ou say on e word father sh e

had said
We re goin d own t o the beach
Sereno an H attie an y ou an m e an we re

goin t o c amp o u t I t ll d o u s all good

For days before th e date o f the e xcursion Eli
had be en sole mn and tre mulous as with j oy 3
b ut now o n the eve o f the great event he
shrank back fro m it with an undened notion
that it was like death and that he was not pre
pared
N ext morning however when they all
rose and took their early breakfast preparatory
t o starting at ve he showed no S ign o f inde
and even went about his outdoor tasks
c i s i on
with an a l acrity calculated as his wife a pp rov
H e had
i n gl y remarked t o fo r a rd the
at last begun to se e his way clear and he looked
well satis ed when his d aughter Hattie and
Sere no her husband drove into the yard in a
wagon che erfully sugge stive o f a wandering
life The tents and a small hair trunk were
stored in the b ack and the horse s pail swung
b elow

Well father called Hattie her rosy fac e

like a ower under the large shade hat sh e had
,

F A R M ER ELI S VA C A T I O N

21

trimm e d fo r the occasion

guess we r e goin

to hav e a good day !

He nodd e d from the win d ow where he was
patiently holding his head high and unde r
going strangulation whi l e h i s w i fe breathing
huskily with haste and importance put on his
stock
You com e in Hattie an h e lp pack the

doughnuts into that lard pail on th e tabl e S h e

called
I gu e ss you ll have to take two pail s

They ain t v e ry b i g
At length th e two teams w e re ready and Eli
mounted to his place where he looked very
s l e nd e r b e sid e his towering mate
The hire d
man stood leaning on th e pump ch e wing a bit
o f straw and the cats rubbed against his l e gs
with tails like banners 3 they were all impresse d
by a sense of th e unusual

Well good b y Luke Mrs Pike called over

her should e r 3 and Eli gave the man a solemn
n od
gathered up the reins and drove o u t o f
the yard Just outside the gate h e pull e d up

Whoa ! he c a ll e d and Luk e loung e d for

ward
D on t you forgi t them cats ! Git up
D oll
And thi s time they wer e gone
For the rst ten miles o f th e way familiar in
being th e road t o mark e t Eli was placidly
cheerful The sense that h e was going to d o
some stra n g e deed to step into an un k nown
country dropped away from him and he

M E AD O WGRASS

22

chatted in his intermitt e nt serious fashion of

the crops and the lay of the land

Pretty bad j ob up along h ere ain t it

father ? called Sereno as th e y passed a sterile

pasture where two plodding m en and a yoke o f
oxen were re deeming the soil from its rocky
fetters

There s a good d eal 0 pastur in som e

plac e s that ain t t for nothin but to hold the

world together
returned Eli ; and then he
was S ilent his eyes xed o n D oll s eloquent
ears his mouth worki n g a little F o r this p r o
gress through a less desirable stratum o f life
caused him to cast a backward glance over his
o w n smooth middle aged road

he
We ve prospered ain t we Maria ?
said at last 3 and his wife unconsciously follow
ing his thoughts in the manner o f those w h o
have lived lo n g toget h e r stroked her bl a ck silk
w h i te an d answered with a well s a t i s e d nod

I gue ss w e ain t got no cause t o complain

The road sid e was parched und er an August
tansy was dust cover e d and fe rns had
su n ;
grown ragge d and gray
The j ogging hors e s
left behind their lazy feet a suffocating cloud

My land
cr i ed Mrs Pike
if that ain t
g old enrod
I do b l i ev e it com es e arlier every
ye ar o r else th e seasons are changin
Se e
the m elderberri e s ! Ain t they purple ! Yo u
j est remember that bush an when we go back
,

M E AD O W GR A SS

24

b ack carefully bearing a tin pail b rimming with

,

cool clear water , his face expressed strong dis

approbation and he smacked his lips scorn
fully

Terrible at wate r
he announced
Taste s

a s if it co me o u t o the cistern
But the others
could nd no fault with it and Sereno draine d
the p a

Pretty good I call it he said 3 and Mrs

Pike rej oin ed
You always was pretty particular about water

father
But Eli still shook his head and ej aculate d
Brackish brackish
as h e began to put the
bit in Doll s patient mout h
He was thinking
with a passion of loyalty o f the clear ic e cold
water at hom e which had never be en shut out
by a pump fro m th e purifying a 1rs o f heaven
but lay where the splashing bucket and chain
broke every day the image o f m oss and fern
His throat grew parched and dry with longing
Wh en they were within thre e miles o f the s ea
it se emed to them that they could taste th e salt
ness o f the incoming bre eze 3 th e roa d was
ankle deep in dust 3 the gard en ow e rs were
glaring i n their brightness It w a s a n e w world
And when at last th ey e merge d from the marsh
bord e red road upon a ridge o f sand and turned
a sudde n corner Mrs Pike faced her husband
in triumph
,

F A R M E R ELI S VA C AT I O N

There father
she cried
The r e tis
But Eli s eye s were xe d on the dashboard
in front of him H e looked pale

Why father said S he impatie ntly

ain t
you goin to look ? It s th e s e a

b ym e by
Yes yes
said Eli quietly ;

I m goin to put the horses up fust

W e ll I never ! said Mrs Pike 3 and as

they dre w up o n the sandy tract where Sereno
had previously arranged a place for their tents
almos t fretfully turning t o Hattie
s h e added

I dunno what s come o ver your fathe r

There s the wate r an he won t even cast his

eyes at it
But Hattie understood her father by some
intuition o f love though not o f lik e n e ss

Don t you bother him ma

said
sh e

He ll make up his mind to it pretty soon

H e re le s lift out these little things while
they re u n h ar n e ss in and then t hey can get at

the tents
Mrs Pike s mind was diverted by the exi
gen c i es o f labor and s h e said no more 3 but
after the horses had be e n put up at a neigh
boring house and Sereno red face d with exer
tion had superintended the tent raising Hattie
slippe d her ar m through her father s and led
him away

Come pa she said in a whispe r ;

le s

y ou and me climb over on the m rocks


M EAD OW GRASS

26

Eli went 3 and when they h ad picked their

way ove r sand and pools to a headland wher e
th e water thun d er e d belo w and salt s pr ay
dashe d up in mist to th e ir feet h e turn e d a n d
look e d at the sea H e faced it as a soul might
face Alm i ghty Gre atne ss only to be stricken
blind thereafter ; for his eyes lled painfully
wit h S lo w hot tears
H attie did not look at
him but after a while s h e shouted in his ear
above the outcry o f the surf

Here pa take my handk e rchie f I don t

know h o w tis about you but this spray gets in

my e yes
Eli took it obediently but h e did n ot speak 3
he only looked at the s e a Th e two sat th e re
c hilled and quite content until six o clock when
Mrs Pike came calling t o them from th e beach
w i th dramatic shouts e mphasize d by the waving
o f her ample apron
Sereno 5 built a b urn r e
Supp e r 5 ready

an I ve made som e tea !

Then they slowly made their way back to
th e tents and sa t down to the evening meal
Sereno see med content and Mrs Pike was bust
ling and triumphant 3 the familiar act of prepar
ing food had given her the fe eling of hom e
Well father what think ? s h e asked sm i ling
exuberantly as s h e passed him his mug of tea

D oes it com e up to what y o u expe cted ?

Eli turned upon her his mild d azed eyes
,

F A R M E R E LI S VA C AT I O N

I guess it does he said gently

That night they sat upon the shore while the
moon rose and laid in the wate r her maj estic
pathway o f light Eli was th e last to leave th e
rocks and h e lay down on his hard couch in
th e t e nt without speaking

I wouldn t say much t o father whispere d

Hattie t o her mother as th ey parte d for the

night
H e feels it more n we do

Well I s pose he is some tired said M r s

Pike acquiescing after a brief look o f surpris e

It 5 a good de al of a j aunt but I dunno but I

fe e l paid a ready
Should y ou take ou t your

h air pins Hatti e ?

She slept soundly and vocally but her hus
band did n o t close his eyes He looked though
he could s e e nothing through the opening in
the tent in the direction where lay th e s ea
solemnly clamorous eternally responsive t o som e
innite whisper from withou t his world Th e
tension o f the hour was almost more than h e
could b e ar ; he longed for morning in sharp
suspense with a faint hop e that the light might
bring relief Just as the stars faded a n d o n e
luminous line p encilled the e ast he rose
s mooth e d his hair and stepped softly o u t upon
the beach
There he saw t w o shado w y gures
Sereno and Hattie
She hurried forward t o
m ee t him

You goin t o s ee the sunrise t o o father ?

,

M E AD O WGR A SS

28

sh e

asked
I m ad e Sereno com e

awful mad at bein waked u p

Eli grasp ed her arm

H attie he said in a whisper

don
tell
I j est com e ou t to s e e how twas
before I go
I m goin home
I m
.

He

t y ou
here
goin
,

720w !

Why father ! said Hattie 3 but sh e pe ered

m ore closely into his face and h er ton e changed

All right s h e added che erfully

Ser e no 11

go and harness up

N o 3 I m goin t o wal k
But father
I don t m ean t o br e ak u p your s t ay i n here
n o r your moth er s
You tell her how twas

I m goin to walk
Hattie turned and whispered t o her husband
for a moment
Then s h e took her father s
hand
I ll slip int o the tent and put you up som e

thin for your b reakfast and luncheon

sh e
said
Sereno s gone to harness ; for pa you
must tak e on e horse and you can send Luke
back with it Friday s o 5 we can get the things
home What d o we want o f two horses down
he re at t w o and ninepenc e a day ? I gue ss I
know
S o Eli yielded 3 but before his wife app eare d
h e had turned his back o n the s e a wh e re the
rose o f dawn was fast unfolding As he j ogge d
,

F A R M ER ELI S VA C AT I O N

homeward the dusty roadsid e s bloomed with

owers o f paradise and th e insects dry chirp
thrilled like the song of ang e ls He drove i nto
the yard j ust at the turning o f the day when
the fragrant smoke of m any a crackling re
curls cheerily upward, in promise o f the evening
meal

ask ed Luke swinging

What s busted ?
himself down from his load o f fodder corn and
beginning to unharness Doll

Oh
said Eli leaping from the
wagon as if twenty years had b e en taken from

his bones
I guess I m too old for such

j aunts I hope you didn t fo rgi t the m cats

,

A F TE R A LL

HE

land 0 gracious
said Mrs Lothrop
Wilson laying down her
drawing i n

hook o n the rug stretched betwe en t w o chairs

in the middle o f the kitchen and getting up t o
look from the windo w
If there ain t Lu c i n d y
comin o u t o the Pitmans without a thing o n
h er h ead an all the m little curls a yi n
An
the o l d Judge ain t cold in his grave
I guess the Judge won t be troubled with

cold any to spe ak o f arter this said her husband

from the windo w where he sa t eating his fore
noon lunch o f apple pie and che ese H e was a
coope r and perhaps the pleasantest mom e nt in
his day was that when h e slippe d o u t o f his
S hop leaving a b i t o f pap er tacked o n the door

o n errands
and walke d soberly
t o s ay h e was

home for his bite and sup

If he ain t good
an warm about now then the S c rip tu r s ain t
n o m ore t o be d ep ended o n than a last year s

almanac

Lote W i lson I m ashamed o f y ou r e

t o rt e d his wife looking at him with such reproof
that albeit sh e had no e sh t o spare S he made
herself a double chin
An he your ow n uncle

M E AD O WGRA SS

Ye s,

said Lu c i n d y smiling and plaiting

her skirt between her nervous ngers
Yes I
went in t o se e if they d le t m e take Old Buck

skin a spell to morrow

What under the sun
began Mrs Wilson 3
but h er husband looked at her and she stopped
He had become so u sed t o constituting himself
Lu c i n d y s C hampion in th e o l d Judge s day
now j ust ended that he kept an u nremitting
watch o n any o n e w h o might threaten h er
pe ace
But Lu c i n d y evidently guessed at the
unspoken question
I should have come h ere if I d expecte d t o

drive sh e said
But I thought m aybe your
ho rse wa n t much us e d to women and I kind
0 dreaded to be the rst o n e to try him with a

saddle
Mrs Wilson put down her hoo k again and
leaned back in h er chair She looke d from h e r
husband to Lu c i n d y without speaking
But
Lu c i n d y went o n with the innocent simplicity
o f a happy child

You know I was always possesse d t o rid e

horse b ack sh e said addre ssing herself t o L O

and father neve r would let m e And

t h ro p
I m e an t o try it and se e if
n o w he ain t h e r e

tain t full as nic e as I thought

burst forth Mrs Wilson expl o
Lu ci n d y

ain t y ou goin t o pay n o resp ect t o

s i v el y

your father s m emory ?

,

A F T ER

ALL

33

Lu c in d y

turned t o her smiling still but

with a hint o f quizzical shrewdness about her
mouth
I guess I ain t called o n to put mys e lf

ou t
sh e
said simply yet not irreverently
Father had his way in pr e tty much everything
while he was alive I always made up my mind
if I should outlive him I d have all the thi n gs
I wanted then when young folks want th e most

And you know then I could n t get e m

Well
said Mrs W i lson
He r tone spoke
volumes o f conicting commentary

Yo u got a saddle ?
asked Lu c i n d y turning

to h e r cousin
I thought I remember e d you
had o n e la i d away up attic I suppose you d

just as soon I d take it ?

He was neither shocked n or amused H e
h a d been looking at her very sadly as one who
read in every word the entire tragedy o f a
repressed and lonely life

Ye s we have Lu c i n d y
he said gently
quieting his wife by a motion o f the hand
but
tain t what you think I t s a man s saddle

You d have to s e t straddle

Oh
said Lu c i n d y a faint shade o f d i sa p

pointment clouding he r face

W e ll no mat
ter ! I guess they ve got o n e down to the
Mard ens
Jane should y ou j ust as soon com e
round this aft e rnoon and look over some b u n n i t
t ri m m i n s with me ?
I took t w o kinds of owers
,


M E AD O W GRA SS

34

ho m e from Miss We st s and I can t for my li fe

tell which t o have

Ain t you goin to wear black ?

M rs Wil
s on spoke n o w i n double italics
Oh n o
I don t fe el called o n to do that
I al w ays liked bright colors and I don t know 3
twould be real hon e st in m e to put o n m ou rn in

wh e n I didn t feel it
Honor thy father
b e gan Jane in
spite o f her husband s warning hand 3 but Ln
cindy int e rru pted her with some p e rplexity
I have Jane I have
I honored father
all my life j ust as much as ever I could I done
everything he ever told m e little and big N 0
though there s on e thing I n e ver fell in with
I did cheat hi m once
I don t know but I m
sorry for that n ow it s all past and gone
He r cou sin had be e n drumming absently o n
th e window sill but he looked up with awake ne d
int e r e st
Mrs Wilson too felt a wholesale
curiosity and sh e at least s aw no reason for
curbing it
What was it Lu c in d y ? she asked
Th e

h unks ! sh e repe ate d to herself like an

ol d
anathema
Lu c i n d y began her confession with eyes down
droppe d and a faltering v oice
Father wanted I should have my hair done
up tight and rm S O I pretended I done th e
b est I could with it I told him these curls

A F T ER

ALL

35

round my fac e and down in my neck was t oo

short and I couldn t pin em up But they
wa n t curls and they wouldn t ha b een short
if I hadn t cut em
For every night and
sometime s twice a day I curled em o n a pip e

stem
Ain t them curls n a t ral Lu cin dy ? crie d

Mrs Wilson
Have you been x in e m t o

blow round your face that way all thes e years ?

I begun when I was a little girl said Ln

cindy guiltily
It did see m kind 0 wrong
but I took real pleasure in it
Lothrop could b ear n o more
He wanted t o
wipe his eyes but he chose instead to walk
straight ou t o f the room and down to his shop
His wife could only express a part o f her amaze
ment by demanding in a futile sort o f way

Where d you get the pip e ?

I stole the rst on e from a hired man we

had said Lu ci n d y her cheeks growing pink

Some tim es I had to u se slate pe ncils

There was no o n e else t o administer j ud g
ment and Mrs Wilson fe lt the necessity

Well she began

an you c an s et there
tellin that an s m i l i n
My sm il i n don t mean any more n some

other folks c ry i n I guess said Lu c i n dy smil

ing still more broadly
I begun that more n
thirty years ago I looked into the glass o n e
day and I se e the corners o f my mouth were

M E AD O WGRA SS

36

goin down Sharper n Vinegar I was ! So I

says to myself I can smile wheth er o r n o
N obody can t help that
And I did and n o w

I guess I don t know when I do it

Well
Lu c i n d y ros e suddenly and brushed her lap
as if she dusted away imaginary cares

There
I v e said m ore
s h e exclaim ed
this m orn i n than I have for forty year
D on t
ou
lead
m
e
o
n
to
talk
about
what
s
p
ast
and
y
gone ! The only thi n g is I m ean t o have a
good time now what there is le ft o f it Som e
things y o u can t get back and som e you can
Well y ou st e p round this afternoon won t

you ?

I dunno s I can J ohn s goin t o bri n g

Claribel up to spend the ar t ern oon an stay to

supper

Why dear heart ! that ne edn t m ake n o

di fference
I s hould admire to have h e r t oo
I 11 S how her som e shells and coral I found this

m o rn i n up attic
Lu c i n d y had almost re ache d th e street wh en
she turned as with a sudd e n resolution and
retrace d h e r steps

J an e S he called looking in at the kitchen

window
It 3 a real bright day pretty a s any
D on t you worry for fear 0 my
t ever I s e e
d i s tu rb i n the m that S gone if I d o try to ketch
at so m e t hin ple asant If they re wiser now

A F T ER

ALL

37

I guess the y ll be glad I had sense enough le ft

to d o it
That afternoon Mrs Wilson in he r best ging
h a m and checked sunbonne t took her way
along the Village street t o the ol d Judge Wilson
house It was a colonial m ansion s i tting a u s
In spite o f i t s
t e re l y back in a square yard
prosperity everything about it wore a dreary
air as if it wer e tired of being t o o well kept 3
for houses are like people and carry their o w n
Mrs Wil
i n d e n a b l e atmospher e with th e m
s on h e rs e lf lived o n a narrower and more se
cluded stre e t though it was said that her
husband if h e had not d e e d the ol d Judge in
some crucial matter might have studied law
with him and possibly share d his speculations in
wool Then he t oo might have risen to b e o n e
o f the rst men in the county inst e ad o f work
ing in his m oderate fashion for little more
than day s wages Claribel a pale dark eyed
child also dre ssed in her best gingham walked
seriously by her grandmother s side Lu c i n d y
was waiting for th e m at t h e door
I declare
sh e call e d d e lightedly
I w as
most afraid you d forgot to come
Well Clar
ibel if y ou ain t grown ! They ll hav e t o put
a brick o n your head o r you ll be taller n

grandma
Clar i bel submitted t o be kissed and they
e nt e r e d the larg e cool sitting room wh e re they
took o ff their things

M E AD O WGR A SS

38

Yo u

make yourself at home Jane

said
Lu c i n d y uttering about in pleasant excite

m ent
I ain t goin to pay you a mite o f
att e ntion till I s e e Claribel xed N ow Claribel
reme mber ! you can go anywheres you re a
m ind to
And you c an touch anything there is
Yo u won t nd a thing a little girl c an hurt
H ere you come here wh e re I be and look across
the entry
Se e that big lamp o n the tabl e ?
Well if you unhook them danglin things and
p eek through e m you ll nd the brightest
colors ! My how pr e tty th e y be ! I v e been
lookin through e m this m o rn i n
I us e d to

cre ep in and do it whe n I was little sh e c on

Onc e I
t i n u e d in an aside to Mrs Wilson

lost o n e
A strange look settl e d on her face 3
There
s h e was recalling a bitter experi e nce
releasing Claribel with a little hug
s h e said

now run along ! If y ou look o n the low e r

shelf o f the what not you ll see some S hells and

coral I put there for j ust such a littl e girl

C laribel walk e d soberly away to her playing
D on t you hurt nothin
called M r s Wil
so n 3 and Claribel responded prop erly

No m

There ! said Lu ci n d y watching the pre

cise little back across th e hall

Now l e s
talk a mite about vanity You reach m e that
gre en box b e hind your c h air
H ere s the
best owers Miss West had for what I wanted
,


M E AD O W GR A SS

o
4

Well 1 s h e said wistfully Then sh e trie d

t o smile
Here
interposed Mrs Wilson not over
pleased with the part she felt call e d upon t o
play
you give m e your b un n i t
Don t I s e e
your ol d sheaf o wheat in the box ? Let me
pin it on for y ou There n o w don t that look

more suitable ?
By the ti me she had laid it o n in c o n v en
t i o n a l atne ss and held it u p for inspection
every trace o f rebellion had a pparently b e en
b anished from Lu c i n d y s mind

Here said the Victim o f soc i al rigor you

hand m e th e box and I ll s e t it away

They had a cosey o l d fashioned chat touch
ing u pon nothing in the least revo l utionary
and M rs Wilson was glad t o think Lu c i n d y
had forgotten all about th e sid e saddle This
last incident o f the bonnet S he re e cte d
showed h ow much re al inuence s h e had ove r
She must take care t o e xert it
Lu c i n d y
kindly but seriously now that th e o l d Judge
was gone

You goin to keep your same h elp ? sh e

asked continuing the conversation
Oh yes
I would n t part with Ann Toby
She s goin t o have her
fo r a good deal
younger sister come t o live with us n ow W e

S hall be a passe l 0 wom en sha n t we ?

I guess it s well for you Ann Toby s what
,

A F T ER
is

sh e

41

she d che at

or

ALL
o
u
y

ou t

your eye

teeth !
W e ll answered
I ain t
Lu c i n d y easily
goin to worry about my ey e t ee th If I be
cheated out of e m I guess I c a n g e t a new

set

At ve o clock they had some cookies osten

s ib l y for Clarib e l s i nce Mrs Wilson could not
stay to t e a ; and th e n wh e n the littl e maid had
tak e n h e rs out t o th e front st e ps Lu c i n d y
b roached a daring plan that mom e nt conc e iv e d

Say Jane s h e whisp e red with great pre

tence of s e cr e cy what do you think j ust come
int o my head ? Do yo u s pose Mattie would
b e put out if I should giv e Clarib e l a hat ?
Mercy sake s no all in t h e family so But
what s et you out on that ? Sh e s got a good
last y e ar s o n e now an the ri bb i n s all pre sse d

o u t an turn e d compl e te

I l l t e ll you said Lu c in d y leaning near e r

and speaking as if S he fe ared the ve ry corn e rs

m i ght h e ar
You know I n ev e r was allowed
to wear bright colors And t o this day I s e e
the hats the other girls had blue on e m and
pink And if I could stand by and let a l i ttle
girl pick out a hat for herself without a word said

t o stop her
twould b e real agre e able to m e
Lu c i n d y was shrewd enough to e xpr e ss h e rs e l f
somewhat moderat e ly Sh e knew by e xp e ri e nc e
how plainly Jane considered it a duty to discour

M E AD O W GR A SS

42

age any overmastering emotion But Jane Wilson

w a s at the sam e instant feeling v e ry keenly that
Luc i n d y faded and old as s h e was nee ded to
b e indulged in all he r riotou s fanci e s She
repressed the temptation however at i t s birth

Why I dunno 5 there 5 anything in the

way o f it she said soberly

Then if y ou must go I 11 walk right al o n g
now Claribel and I ll go down to Miss West s
and se e what S he s got N othin s t o b e gained
by w a i t i n
When they walked o u t through the hall t o
gethe r Lu c i n d y cast a quick a n d eager glance
into th e parlor
Sh e almost hoped Claribel
had unhooked the glass pri sms fro m the lamp
and l e ft the m scattere d o n the oor o r that
s h e had broken th e pr e cious shells more than
half a century old She wanted to put her arms
round he r and sa y fondly N e ver mind
But
the room was in p e rfe ct orde r and littl e Clar
ibel waited for th em conscious o f a propriety
unstaine d by guilt

said M rs Wilson w h o also had

Lu c i n d y

used he r ey e s
wh e re s your father s canes ?

They al ays stood right her e in this corner

Lu c i n d y ush ed

Jane
d on t you tell but
s h e whispered
I
I buried em ! I felt somehow as if I
couldn t d o the things I wanted to if they

s e t there j ust the same

.

A F T ER

ALL

43

Jane could only look at her in silence

W e ll
at length
it takes all
s h e said

k inds 0 people t o make a world !

That at least, was non committal
She left the shoppers at h e r ow n gate and
they walked on together Lu ci n d y was the more
excited of the two

Now Clari b el sh e was saying you r e

m ember you can choose any h at you se e and
have it trimmed j ust the way you l i ke What

color do you se t by most ?

I don t know
sa i d Claribel
Blu e I

guess
Well there 5 a hat there all trimmed with it
I s e e it this m o rn i n
Real bright pretty blue
I believe there was some little noddin yellow
owers on it too But mind yo u don t take it

unl e ss yo u like it
Miss W e st s shop occupied the front room o f
her house a small yellow one o n a side str e et
The upper part o f the door was o f glass and it
rang a b e ll as it opened
Lu c i n d y had had
very few occasions for going there and she
e nt e red with some importance
The bell
clanged 3 and Miss W e st a portly woman cam e
in fro m the b ack roo m whisking off her apron
in haste
Oh that you Miss Lu ci n dy ? s h e call e d

I ve j ust b e e n fry i n some riz doughnuts

Well how d the owers suit ?

.

M EAD O W GRASS

44

I ha v en t quite mad e up my m i nd said

Lu c i n d y trying to speak w ith the dignity b e t

ting he r que st
I j ust co me in with little
Claribel here Sh e s goin to have a new hat
and her grandma said S he might come down
with m e to pick it ou t Yo u ve got some all

trimm e d I believe ?
Miss W e st op e ne d a drawer in an o l d fash
i on e d bur e au

Ye s
s h e said
I v e got two my niece
trimm e d for m e b e for e s h e went to make her
visit to S u d l e i gh
On e 3 blu e
I guess you ve
se e n that Then th e r e 5 a nice white o n e The

We ekly says white 5 all the go this year

She took o u t two little hats and balanced
them o n eith e r hand
The blu e on e was
strongly accented The ribbon was very broad
and very bright and its nodding cowslip s
gleamed in cheerful y e llow

Ain t that a b e auty ? whispered Lu c in d y

close t o the little girl s ear
But there D on t
you hav e it unless you d rather There s lots
of
other c olors you know 3 pink and a l l

sorts
Claribel put o u t o n e little b rown hand and
timidly touched the oth e r hat

This o n e she said

It was very plain and very pretty 3 yet there
wer e n o owers and the m ode st white ribbon
lay smoothly about the crow n
Miss Lu c i n d y

A F T ER A LL

45

gave a little cry as if some o n e had hurt

her

O
O Claribel ! you sure
s h e exclaimed
Claribel was sur e

She s got re al good taste

put in Miss
Shall I w r o p it up ?
We st

Yes answere d Lu c i n d y drearily

We 11
take it But I suppose if sh e should c h ang e
s h e added
h e r mind before s h e wore it
with some slight accession of hope
Oh y e s bring it right back
I 11 give her

another choic e
But Claribel was n o t lik e ly to cha n ge her
mind On the way home S he walk e d s e dately,
and carried h e r hat with th e utmost care At
h er grandmother s gat e s h e look e d up shyly and
spoke o f her o w n accord
Thank you ever so much
Then sh e ed up the path her bundle waving
before her That at least looked like s p o n t a
neo n s j oy and the sight of it sooth e d Lu c i n d y
into a temporary resignation 3 ye t sh e w a s very
much disapp o inted
Th e next aft e rnoon Tiverton s aw a stra n ge
and wondrous sight Th e Crane boy led Old
Buckskin under an anci e nt saddl e into Miss
Lu c i n dy s yard and waite d there b e fore her
door The Crane b oy had told all his mates
and th e y had told th e ir fathers and mothe rs so
that a wild excite ment e w through th e Village
,

'

M E AD O WGR A SS

46

like stu bb le re stirring th e inhabitants to futile

action
I t s like the cl i ps e said o n e o f the

squad o f children c ollected at the gate

only

they ain t no smoked glass

Som e o f the grown

p eople mad e an errand for the sake o f b e ing

in the stre et but those w h o lived near b y s i m
ply mounted guard at th e ir doors and windows
The horse had not waited long when Miss Lu
cindy appeare d before the gaz e o f an e ager
world
H er fac e had wakened into a keen
excite ment

1
Here
she call e d t o the Crane boy s
brother who was lingering in the background
grinding his toes o n the gravel and then lifting
them in sudden agony
you take this kitchen
chair and s e t it down side of him so t I can

climb up
The chair was placed and Miss Lu c i n d y
essay e d t o C limb but vainly

1
Ann
sh e
called
y o u b ring m e that

little cricket
Ann Toby appeared unwillingly the little
cricket in her hand
S he was a tall red haired
woman w h o bore the reputation o f being willing

to be tore into inch pieces for Miss Lu c i n d y

H er freckle d face burned red with shame and
anger
F o r Heaven s sa k e you come bac k into the
house
she whispered with tragic m eaning
You j e st give it up an I l l scatter the m boys
,

M EAD O WGRASS

48

Now

Mrs Wilson had heard th e rumor t o o

late to admit of any int e rfe r e nc e on h e r part
and S h e was staying indoors suffe ring an agony
o f sham e
d e termined not to c o unt e nance th e
scandalous sight by he r pr e sence But as sh e

h ooki n g i n
the window was darkened
sa t
and involuntarily s h e lifted h e r e yes There
was the huge bulk o f a horse an d there was
Lu c i n d y The horsewoman s ch e eks were bright
red with ex e rcise and joy Sh e wore a black
dre ss and Black m itts H er little curls were
ying ; and oh m ost unbearable o f all ! th ey
were surmounted by a bo n net bearing n o modest
sheaf o f wheat but blossoming braz e nly o u t into
lavender rose s Th e spectacl e was too much
for Mrs Wilson She dropped h er hook and
ew to th e door
Well I V e known a good deal fust an last
but I never s e e the beat 0 this ! Lu c i n d y
where d you git that long dress ?

It 5 my cashme r e answ e red Lu c i n d y j o y

I s e t up last night to lengthen it

o u sl y

down
Well I should think you did
Lothrop
H er husband had been taking a n ap in the
sitting room and he cam e out rubbing h i s eye s
Mrs Wilson could not speak for curiosity Sh e
watche d him with angry intentness Sh e w on
d e red if h e would tak e Lu c i n d y s part n o w
But
Lothrop only moved forward and felt at the girth
.

A F T ER

A LL

49

You know you want t o pull him up if he

stumbl e s h e said ; but I guess he won t He

was a stiddy horse fteen ye a r ago

Lothrop b egan his wife

do you want t o
b e made a l au gh i n stock in this town
I gue ss if I ve lived in a plac e over sixty

year an hil my ow n I can yet said Lothrop

qui e tly
You don t want to r i de too long

You ll be lame to morrer

Luc i n d y

I didn t suppose twould j ounce so said

but it s proper nice
I don t know
Lu c i n d y 3
what twould be on a real high horse Well
good b y
She turned the horse about and
involuntar i ly struck him with her little switch
Old Bucksk i n broke into a really creditable trot
and they disappeared down the Village street
Lothrop sensibly took h i s way down to the shop
while h i s wife was recovering h e r powers of
spe e ch ; an d for that Jane herself mentally
commended him
Lu c i n d y kept o n o u t of th e village and along
the country road The orioles were singing in
the elms and the leaves st i ll wore th e glo ss o f
last nigh t s shower T he e art h smile d like a
new cr e ation v e ry gre en and swe et and the
horse s hoofs mad e music i n Lu c i n d y s mind
It se em ed to her that sh e had lost sight both of
youth and crabbe d age 3 the p endulum stood
still in the j arring machinery of tim e the hands
pointing to a moment o f j oy She was quite


M EAD OW GRASS

0
5

happy as any o f us may be w h o see k the fe l l ow

ship o f dancing leav e s and strong bright sun
She turn e d into a cross road hardly wider than
a lane and bordered with wild rose and fragrant
raspb e rry Th ere was but on e house here
a
little tim e stain e d cottage wh ere To m M c N e il
live d with his wife and ve children Perhaps
these were the happiest p eople in all Tiverton
t h ough no o n e b ut themselve s had eve r found
it ou t Tom made shoes in a d esultory fashion
and played the ddle e arne stly all winter and
in summ er peddled essences and me dicine s
from a pack strapped over his S houlders Some
times i n th e warm summer weather Molly, his
wife and all the children tramped with him so
that the house w a s closed for we eks at a tim e
a thing very trying t o th e conventional sensi
Tom might have had a
b i l i t i e s o f Tiverton

stiddy j ob 0 work with so me of th e farm ers ;

M olly m i ght have helped about the churning
and ironing But no th e y were like the birds
n esting happily in summer and drawing their
fe et u nder th e ir feathers when t h e snow drifted
in The children
lank wild eyed creatures
each went to school a few months and then
stoppe d unable to bear the cross o f c o n n e
m e nt within four dull walls Th ey could n o t
write 3 it was even rumore d that th e y had never
learned to tell time An d indeed what good
would it have don e the m when the clock was
,

A F T ER

ALL

I
5

down and stood always at th e hour o f noon ?

But they knew where thoroughwort grows an d
th e whol e som e goldthread 3 they gathered cress
and peppermint and could t e ll the mushroom
from its noisom e kindre d Day after day they
roamed the woods for simples to be distilled by
t h e fathe r and made into potent salves and
ointm ents for man and the beasties he loved
b e tt e r
When Lu c in d y cam e in sight of the house
She had scarcely
S h e was glad to nd it open
gon e s o far a e ld for years and the reports
concerning this strange people had reached he r
only by h earsay She felt like a discoverer
In close neighborhood t o the house stood a
p e culiar structure the half n i sh e d dwelling
M c N e i l had attempted in a brief access o f
ambition to build with h i s ow n hands Th e
chimney slightly curvin g and very ragged at
the top stood foolishly above the u n nished
lower story Lu cin d y re membere d hearing h ow
To m had begun the chimney rst and built
the house round it But the fullment o f his
worldly dream never came to pass 3 and perhaps
it was quite as well for thereby would the unity
o f his
existence have be en destroyed
He
might have lived up to the house 3 he might
even have grown into a proud man and accu
m u l at e d dollars
But the b e nt o f birth was t oo
much fo r him A day d awned warm and e n

ru n

M E AD O WGRA SS

trancing ; he left his bricks and boards in th e

m idst and the whole family went j oyfully o ff
o n a tramp
To Tiverton the unnished h ouse
cont i n u e d t o serve as an immortal j oke and
To m smiled as broadly as any
H e always
said he couldn t nish it 3 h e had mislaid th e
plan
A little o w e r gard en b loome d betwe en the
and on the grass by o n e o f its
t w o house s
clove pink borders sat a woman rocking back
and forth in an ancient chair and d oing a b so
l u t e l y nothing
She was young and seem ed all
brown ; fo r h er eyes were dark and her skin
had b e e n tanned to the d eep rich tint sweeter
t o some eyes than pure roses and milk
Lu c i n d y
uided
Buckskin
up
the
gate
and
Molly
t
o
g
M c N e i l looked up and smiled without moving

H O W d o ? s h e said in a soft slow voice

Won t y ou com e in ?
It was long since
Lu c i n d y was del i ghted
she h a d m et a stranger

Well I would s h e answered but I don t

know as I can get down This i s new business

to m e

Ellen
calle d Mrs M c N e il
you b ri n g

t o step o n !
o u t s o m e t hi n
A little girl app e ared with a yellow kitchen
chair Mrs M c N e i l rose carri e d it outsid e the
gate and planted it by Buck skin s s i de

T here ! s h e said y ou put your hand on

,

A F T ER

ALL

53

my shoulder and step down It won t tip I ve

got my kne e o n it
Lu c i n d y alighte d with some dif culty and
drew a long bre ath

You
I l l h i tch him said Molly M c N e i l
go in and si t down in that chair and Ellen 11

bring you a drink o f wat e r

Ellen was barelegged and barefooted
Her
brown hair hung over her dark eyes in a pleas
ant tangle H e r even te eth were white and
her lip s red Th e r e was n o fault nor bl e mish
in her littl e face 3 and when S h e had brought the
dipper full of water and stood rubbing o n e foot
a gainst
its neighboring l e g Lu c i n d y thought
s h e had nev e r seen anything so absolutely b e
W itching
Molly had hitched the horse in
manly and knowing fashion and th e n seated
h e rself on th e kitch e n chair besid e Lu ci n d y ;
but the attitude se em e d not t o suit he r and
presently S he rose and lay qui e tly down at full
length on the grass She did it quite a s a mat
ter o f course and h e r Visitor thought it looked
very pl e asant 3 possibly sh e would have tri e d it
hers e lf if sh e h a d not been so absorbe d in a n
other interest She was watching th e little girl
w h o was running into the house with th e d i pper

Ain t sh e complete
sh e
said
Your

old e st ?

Sh e ain t mine at all

M rs M c N e i l rose
o n on e elbow and began chewing a grass ste m

M EAD O WGRASS

54

I t was very restful to Lu c i n d y to s e e some one

who was too much interested in anything how
e ve r trivial t o be interested in h e r
Yo u know
about the I talian that come round with the
hand organ last month ? H e w a s h er father
Well he died fell off a mow o n e night and
the to w n sold the hand organ and kept Ellen
awhile o n the farm
But S he run away and
my boys found he r h i d i n in the woods starved
most t o death So I took h er in and the over
seer said I w a s welcom e to her She s a nice

little soul
She s prop er good lookin
Lu c i n dy s
eye s were sparkling

She don t look as well as common to day

for the boys w e nt o ff p l u mm i n wit h out her
She was asle e p and I d idn t want to call he r
She had a c ry i n spell when s h e waked up but

I didn t know which way th e y d gone

Ellen cam e wand ering round the sid e o f th e
hou se and Lu c i n d y crooke d a trembling nger
at h e r

C ome here
You com e here
s h e called
and s e e m e
Ellen walked up t o her with a steady step
and laid o n e little brown hand o n Lu c i n d y s
kne e But th e o l d Judge s daughter drew the
child covetously t o her lap

Look here she said

should you like to

go home and sp end a we ek with m e ?

,

M EAD O WGRASS

6
5
Lu c in d y

was tre mbling all over

Yo u come de ar
she urged piteously

You co m e and live with m e

Ell e n thought a moment more Then sh e
n odded

I 11 come said she

Lu c i n d y could not wait

I l l send a wagon ov e r after her to n i ght

She had put Ellen down and was rising tr e m

I won t stop to talk no more now

b l i n gl y
but y ou com e and se e m e won t y o u ? N o w

there
My it s
if y ou 11 help m e mount u p
higher n twas before ! Well I ll se e you

again
She turned Old Buckskin s head away
fro m th e fe nc e 3 then sh e pulled him ercely

round again
Here ! s h e called
what if
sh e S hould j ump up behind m e and com e
.

n ow

Mrs M c N e il being the thrall only o f th e

earth saw n o reason why a thing should n o t b e
done as o n e want e d it Sh e l i fted the child
and s e t her o n t h e horse behind Lu ci n d y And
so in this strange fashion the two entered the
high stree t o f Tiverton
.

A fe w weeks after this M r s Wilson and Ln

cindy went togeth e r t o th e little millinery shop
Elle n trotted be tween the m taking e xcursions
into th e stre e t n ow an d again in pursuit o f
butterie s o r thistledown Whe n they entered
,

A FT ER

ALL

57

Mi s s W e st who had seen th e ir approach from

her position at the ironi n g board came forward
with a gay littl e hat in he r hand It was
trimmed with pink and a wr e ath of tiny white
owers clung about the crown Sh e s e t it o n
Ell e n s curls 3 and Ellen he r face quit e ra d iant
look e d up at Miss Lu c i n d y for approval But
that lady was gaz i ng anxiously at Mrs W i lson
N ow there ain t anything unsuitabl e about

that is there ? sh e asked

I know i t s gay
and I want i t to be gay I can tell about t/z a t /
But is it all right ? Is it such as you d be

will i n to have Clarib e l wear ?

It 5 a real beauty
Mrs Wilson answered
cordially 3 but she could not refrain from add
ing while M iss West was doing up the hat and
Ellen surreptitiously tried on a black pok e bon
net N o w don t you spile her Lu c i n d y She s
a nice little girl as ever was but y o u ain t no
more t to bring up a child than th e cat
Lu ci n d y did not hear
She was smiling at
Ellen and Ellen smiled back at her They
thought they knew
,

T O LD I N TH E

PO O R H O U S E

m e s e e said o l d Sally Flint

was it
fty year a go or w a s it o n y forty ?
S o m e er s betwixt 1 8 2 5 an 2 6 it must ha be e n
when they were married an twas in 4 1 h e

died
The other ol d women in th e Poorh ouse s i t
ting roo m gath ered about her Old M rs Forbes
who dearly loved a story unwound a l e ngth o f
yarn with p eculiar satisfaction and put her worn
s hoe u p to the re
Eve rybody kn e w when
Sally Flint was disposed to open h er unwritt e n
book o f folk tales for the public entertainment ;
and to day havi n g tied o n a fresh apron and
bound a new piece o f r e d annel about her
wrist s h e was so to sp ea k i n ghting trim
The other members of the Poorhouse had scanty
faith in that red annel Th e y w ere aware that
Sally had brok e n her wrist some tw e nty y e ars
be fore and that the bandage was cons e quently

donned o n days wh e n her hand fe lt kind 0

cold o r was burnin lik e re embers 3 but

the re was an unspoken suspicio n that it really
,

T O LD

I N TH E

PO O R H O U S E

59

serve d as token of her inability to work when

ever S h e fe lt bored by the prescr i bed routine o f
knitting and sweeping N O on e had dar e d pre
sume o n that theory howev e r since th e day
when an untactful oversee r had m e ntione d it t o
b e met by such a stream o f unpleasant r e m i n i s
c enc e conc e rning his immediate a ncestry that
h e had r e tr e at e d in dismay and for a we e k
aft e r had served extra pieces o f pie to his j ustly
o ffe nded charge

Th e y wer e marrie d in June

continued

Sally
No
twas the last 0 May
M ay thirty fust
no May ain t but thirty days

has it ?

Thirty days hath

quoted

Mrs Giles with importance

That s about
all I ve go t l e ft 0 my s c h o o l i n Miss Flint

May s got thirty one days sure enough

Call it the thirty fust th e n

It s nigh
enough anyway Well Josh Mard e n an Ly d d y
Ann Crane was married an for nine y e ar th e y
live d like t w o kittens
Old Sperry Dye r that
wanted t o git Ly d d y hims e lf used to call e m
cu p
an sasser
There they b e he d say
wh e n h e stood outside the m e e t i n house doo r
an they drove up ;
there come s c u p an
Ly d d y w a s a little mit e o f a thing
sasse r
with great black eye s 3 an if Josh hadn t bee n
as tough as tripe he d ha got all wor e ou t
w ai t i n on her
H e even washed the p o t a t e rs
.

M EAD OW
GRASS

6O

for he r made the res an lugge d wat er S cai r t

t o death if s h e was sick
She used to have sick
headache s an o n e day he stopped choppin
pine limbs near the house caus e the noise
hurt Ly d d y Ann s head Another time I r e c o l
lect s h e had erysipelas in her face an I w e nt
in to c arry som e elder blows an found him
readin the Bible
Lord
says I Josh that s
o n y Genesis ! t w on t do the erysipelas a mite
good for y ou t o be settin there r e adin the
0
begats ! You better turn to Revelation
But
twa n t all o n h i s side n u t h e r
Twas give
an take with them
It used t o se e m a s i f
Ly d d y Ann kind 0 worshipped him
Josh
we all called him 3 but sh e used to say J o sh u ay

an look at him as if h e was th e Lord A m igh ty

!
My ! Sally
said timid Mrs Sp e nser
under h er bre a t h ; but Sally gave no h eed and
swept o n in th e stream o f her re colle ctions

W e ll it went o n fo r fteen ye ar an th en
Mandy Knowle s Josh s second cousin come
to help em with the work
Mandy was a
que er c r eat ur
I v e studied a good deal over
h er an I dunno s I Ve quite got to the bottom
She was o n e 0 the m sort 0 slow
o f her yit
women with a fat fac e an she hadn t got over
d r e ssi n young though Ly d d y an th e rest of u s
that was over thirty was w e a r i n caps an talkin
about false fronts But sh e never d had no
beaux 3 an when Josh begun to praise h er an

T OL D I N TH E PO O RHO USE

61

how nice twas t o have h e r th e r e it tickl e d

Sh e d liv e d alone
h er e e n a m o s t to d e ath
with her moth e r an two o l d maid aunts a n
kno w nothin about m en folks ; I
s h e didn t
al ays thought sh e felt they was di ffer e nt some
how
kind 0 cherubim an seraphim an
you d got to mind e m as if you was the Ch i l
dern o f I s r e l an the y was Moses J osh never
meant a mit e o har m I ll sa y that for him
H e was j est man lik e that s all There s lots
here M i s Nil e s you know 3
0 d i ffe rent kinds
you ve buri e d your third
an Josh w a s the
ki n d that can t s e e more n on e woman to a
t i m e He lo o ked at Mandy an h e got over
Things would ha
s e e i n Ly d d y Ann that s all

com e o ut all right

as right as th e y be for
most marri e d folks i f Ly d d y Ann hadn t be e n
h i gh s p eri t e d ; but sh e set the world by
so
h
u
a
Ain t it nice to
os
J
y an there twas
have h e r here ? he kep on sayin ov e r n ove r
to Ly d d y an she d say Ye s 3 but b y m e b y
when s h e found he w a s al ays on hand to bring
a pail 0 water for Mandy or to thro w away
her suds o r even help hang out the clo es I
se e em hangin
o u t clo e s one day when I was
goin across their lot h u ckl e b err i n an he did
look like a gr e at gump an so did she well
then Lyd d y Ann got to se e m i n kind 0 worried
an sh e had more S ick headaches than ever
Twa n t a year afore that I d been in one day

s ay

M EAD OWGRAS S

62

when she had a h e adache an he says as i f h e

was p e r fe ssi n his faith in m e e t i n
By gum I
wish I could have the m headach e s for h er an
I thought 0 s p e ak i n of it about now when I
run in to b orr e r some saleratus an he holle r e d
into th e bedroom !
Ly d d y Ann y o u got
another headach e ? If I had such a h ead as
that I d cut it o ff
An all the tim e Mandy
did act like the very Old N ick j est as any o l d
m aid would that hadn t set her m i nd on men
folks till she was thirty v e She bought a r e d
plaid b o w an pinned it o n in front an o n e day
I k e t c h e d h er at the lookin glass pullin ou t a
gray hair
Land Ma n dy says I !I spoke right u p )
do you pull e m o u t as fast a s th e y com e ?
That s why you ain t no gray e r I s pose I was
sayin the oth e r day
Mandy Knowle s is gittin
I dunno
o n but s h e holds her o w n pr e tty w e ll

how sh e manages it wheth e r sh e dyes or not

says I
An afore sh e could stop hers e lf Mandy
turned round red as a beet to look at Josh an
heard
H e stamp e d o u t i n to t h e
s e e if he
wood house but Ly d d y Ann nev e r took her
ey e s o ff her work Th e m littl e spiteful things
didn t se em to make no impr e ssion on h e r
I ve tho u ght a good m an y time s senc e sh e
didn t care how handsom e other wom en w a s
nor how scra w ny she was herself if sh e could


M EAD OW GRASS

64

because she d been s o smart

Some 0 this
come ou t at the time an some wa n t known
till a r t er w a rd s 3 the hired m an told some an a
good deal the neighbors s e e thems e lv e s An
I ll b e whippe d if Mandy h e rself didn t t e ll
the heft on t arter twas all over She wa n t
more n half bake d in a good many things I t
got round som e how that th e pocket book was
c omin an when I s e e Mandy walkin hom e
that ar t e rn o on I k e t c h e d up my shawl an run
in behind her to b o rre r som e yeast Nobody
thought anything 0 birthdays in o ur n e ighbor
hood a n mebbe that made it see m a good d eal
more n twas 3 but when I got in there I v o w
I was sorry I com e
Ther e s e t Josh by th e
k itchen table sort 0 red an pleased with h i s
an he was
o l d pocket book open afore him
i
all
his
bills
an
pap
e
rs
nto
the
new
n
ne
u
t
i
o
t
p
an sayin every other word
Why Mandy I never se e your beat Ain t
this a nice o n e Ly d d y ?
An Mandy was b ilin over with pride an
s h e stood th e re takin o ff he r cloud 3 she d be en
in such a hurry to give it to h i m s h e ha d n t
even got her things o ff fust Ly d d y stood by
the cupboard lookin straight at the glass spoon
holder I thought a rt erw a rd s I didn t b l i ev e
she s e e it ; an if she did I guess sh e never
forgot it
Ye s i t s a re al nice on e says I

I N TH E

TO LD

PO OR H O US E

65

I had t o say su t hi n but in a minute I w a s

most scair t Lyd d y turned round in a kind of
a ash 3 her face blaze d all over red an her
She stepp ed
eyes kind 0 wen t throug h me
up to the table an took up the old pocket
book
You ve got a new on e says s h e
May I
have this ?
Course you may says h e
H e didn t look up to s e e her face an he r
voice was so soft an still I guess he never
thought nothin o f it Then sh e held the pocket
book up tight ag i n st her dress waist an walke d
o ff into
the bedroom
I al ays thought sh e
never knew I was there An a r t erw a rd s it com e
o u t that that o l d pocket book w a s o n e she d
bought for him afore they was married ,
earne d

it bindin shoes

Tw a s kind 0 hard
owned Mrs Nil es
bending forward and with hands claspe d over
her kne e s pe ering into the coals for data

regar d ing her ow n marital experiences

But
if twas all wore ou t
did y ou say twas wore ?
well then I dunno 5 you could expect him
to se t by it
An t w a n t as if he d give it

away 3 they d got it betwe en e m

I dunno 3 it s all dark to m e owned Sally

Flint
I gue ss twould puzzle a saint to ex
plain men folks a n yway but I v e al ays tho u ght
they was sort 0 numb about some things

M E AD O WGRA SS

66

Anyway Josh Marden w a s Well things went

o n that way till the fust part 0 the sum mer an
then they come to a t urn i n p int
I s pose
they d got to some time an it might j est as
well ha b een fust as last
Lyd d y Ann w a s
pretty miserable an she d be en dosin with
thoroughwort an what all when anybody told
her to 3 but I al ays thought she never care d a
mite whether she lived to se e another spring
Th e day I m comin to sh e was stand i n over
the re fry i n sh an Mandy was sort 0 dd l i n
round settin the table an n o t doin much o f
anything arter all
I dunno how she come to
b e so aggrav a t i n for S h e was al ays ready to do
h e r part if sh e l z a a com e betwe e n hu sband an
wife You know how hard it is to git a sh
dinner ! Well Ly d d y Ann w as tired enough
a n yway An whe n J osh come in Mandy s h e
took a cinnamon rose ou t o f her dress an
offered it to him
H ere s a ower for your b utton hole says
An then
s h e as if s h e wa n t more n sixteen
she s e t down in a chair an fanne d herself with
a newspaper

N ow that chair happened to be Ly dd y

Ann s at th e table an S he s e e what w a s bein
done
She turne d right round with the s h
platter in her hand an say s sh e in an awful
kind o f a voice
You git up out o my chair ! You ve to o k
,

T OL D I N TH E POORHO U SE

67

my husband away but you sha n t take my

place at the tabl e !
The hire d man was there washin his hands
at the sink an he told it to m e j est as it hap
pene d Well I guess they all thought they was
struck by lightnin an Ly d d y Ann most of all
Josh h e come to fust He walke d over to
Ly d d y Ann
says he An
Yo u put down that platter
s h e begun to tremble an s e t it down

I guess they thought there was goin to be

murd e r done for Mandy busted right o u t c ry i n
an come ru n n i n over to m e an the hired man
took a step an stood sid e 0 Ly d d y Ann
He
was a little mit e o f a man Cyrus was but he
wouldn t ha stood n o violence

Josh opened th e door that went into the

front entry an j est p i n t e d
Yo u walk in
there he says
an you stay there
That s
your half 0 th e house an this is mine
D on t
you dast to darken my doors

Ly d d y Ann s h e w alked through the entry

an into the fore room an he shet the door

I wouldn t ha done it
snort e d o l d Mrs
Page who had spent all her property in law

su its over a right o f way

Ketch m e !

You would if you d a b e en Ly d d y Ann 1

said Sally Flint with an emphatic nod Then

sh e
continu e d !
I hadn t more n h e ard
Mandy s story afore I was over there 3 but j est

M EAD OWGRASS

68

as I put my foot on the door sill Josh he come

fo r a r d to m e e t m e
What s wanted ? says he An I declare
for t I was so sc a i rt I j est turned round an cu t
for ho me An there s e t Mandy wringin her
hands
What be I goin to do ? says sh e over n
over
Who ever d h a thought 0 this ?
The thing for y ou to do says I is t o gO
straight hom e to your mother an I ll harness
up an carry you
D on t you step your foot
inside that house ag in Maybe ma am w i ll go
over an pack up your things You ve made
mischi e f e nough
So w e got her off that arter
noon a n that was an end of h er
I never could s e e what made Josh think s o
quick t hat day
We never thought he was
bright e r n common ; but j est se e h o w i n that
ash 0 bein mad with Ly d d y Ann h e d planne d
o u t what would b e most wormwood for her !
H e gi n h er the half 0 the house she d fur
n i s h e d herself with hair cloth chairs an a what
not but twa n t the part that w as t to be
lived in She stayed pretty close for thre e o r
four days an I guess she never had noth i n to
e at It made m e kind 0 sick t o think of her
in ther e settin o n h e r hair cloth s o fy an look i n
at her wax owe rs an the coral on th e w
hat not
an t h i n k i n what end she d mad e
I t was o f
a Monday s h e was sent in th e re an T ues d ay
-

TO LD

I N TH E

PO OR H O U S E

69

night I slipp e d over an put som e luncheon on

the winder sill ; but twas there the next day
an Cyrus s e e the o l d crower y up an git it
An that sam e Tuesday m o rn in Josh had a j in e r
com e an begin a partition right straight through
the house
It was all rough boards like a high
fe nc e an it cut the front entry in two an went
right through the kitchen s o t the kitchen
stove was one side o n t an the sink the other
I was glad o
Ly d d y Ann s side had the stove
that though I s pose S h e most had a t e very
day to think 0 him t ryi n to cook over the air
tight in the settin room Se e m e d kind 0 quee r
to go to the front door too for you had t o
op e n it wid e an squ e e ze round the partition t o
git into Ly dd y Ann s part an a little mite o f a
crack would let you into Josh s But they didn t
have many callers It was a good long while
afore anybody dared to say a word t o her 3 an
as for Josh there wa n t nobody that cared about
s e e i n him but the tax collector an pedlers
Well th e trouble Josh took to carry ou t that
mad t ! H e split woo d an laid it down at
Ly d d y Ann s door an h e divided the eggs an
milk an shove d h e r half inside
H e bought
her a separate b arrel 0 our an all the gro
c e r i es h e could think o n ;
they said he laid
money on her wind e r sill
But take it all
together h e was so busy actin like a craze d
one that he never got his taters dug till mos t

M EAD OWGRASS

0
7

time for t h e frost

Ly d d y Ann S he neve r
showed her head among the neighbors ag i n
Whe n sh e se e she d go t to stay there sh e begun
to cook for herself ; but on e day one o the
n eighbors he ard her pl e a d in with Jo sh out in
the cow yard while he was m il k i n
O J os h u ay s h e ke p a sayin over n over
you ne edn t take m e back if you ll o n y let
m e do your work ! You needn t speak to m e
I ll live in the other p art ; but I shall b e
an
crazy if y o u don t let m e do your work
O
h
a
h
a
o
s
u
s
u
!
O
She
crie
d
an
cried
as
o
J
y
y
J
if h er hear t would break but Josh went on
an n e ver said a word
m i l k in

I S pose she thought h e d let h er the ol d

hunks for the next day sh e bake d som e pies
an set e m o n the tabl e in his part She reached
in through th e wind e r to do it B ut that night
when J osh com e home he hove e m all ou t into
the back yard an the bi d di e s eat em up Th e
last time I was ther e I s e e them very piece s 0
pie plate white an blue edged unde r th e sy
ringa bush Th en s h e kind 0 give up hope I
guess
But no ! I m gittin ah ead 0 my
story Sh e did try him once mor e O f cours e
his rooms got to lookin like a hog s nest

My ! I gu e ss wh en sh e s e e him doin his

S he thought the pocke t book was
o w n washin

a small affair interpolated Mrs Niles

She use d to go round p e e rin into his winders
.


M E AD O W GRA SS

2
7

H ere let m e set back b y the winder I want

to se e who goe s by t o day An I ll cut my
story short
Well they lived j est that way Ly d d y Ann
s h e looked like an o l d woman in a month o r
She looked every minute as ol d as you do
t wo
Mis Gridley Ain t you S ixty nine ? Well sh e
wa n t but thirty si x H er hair turned gray an
Sometimes I thought
s h e was all stoop ed over
s h e wa n t j e st right
I u sed to go in to s e e
if s h e d go c ol t s fo ot i n with m e o r p l u m m i n ;
but s h e never d make m e no answer
I re c
One day sh e se t
o l l e c t t w o things s h e said
rockin b ac k a rd s an for a rd s in a straight

chair b oldin h er hands round her kne es an

S h e says
I ain t got n o prid e Sally Flint ! I ain t
got n o prid e !
An once sh e looked up kind 0 pitiful an
says Ain t it qu eer I can t die ?
But poor
I never thou g ht S he kn e w what she was
c r e a t ur
sayin
She d ha be en the last on e t o ow n sh e
wa n t contented if sh e d had any gover ment
over he r words

Well Josh h e d turned the hired man away

because he couldn t d o for him ove r the air
tight stove an he got m en to h elp him b y days
works An through the winter he j e st se t over
the re an suck e d his C laws an thought h ow
smart he w as But on e day twas awful cold
.

I N TH E

TO LD

PO OR H O U S E

73

an we d be en t ryin ou t lard an the fat k e t c h e d

re an everything was all up in arms anyway
Cyrus h e was goin by Josh s an h e d i dn t se e
n o smoke from the settin room stove So h e
j est went to the side door an walked in an
there se t Josh in the middle 0 the room
C ouldn t move hand nor foot ! Cyrus didn t
stop for no words but he run over to our house
Josh Marden s got a stroke !
An
h ol l er i n
m a am left the stove all over fat an run an I
arter her I guess Ly dd y Ann must ha seen
u s comin for we hadn t more n got into t h e
settin room afore she was there
The plac e
w a s cold as a barn an it looked like a hurrah s
nest Josh never moved but his eyes fol l er e d
her when she went into the bedroo m to spread
up the bed

You help m e Cyru s says s h e kind 0

twittery like but calm
We 11 carry him i n
here
I can lift

But our m en folks got there j est about as

they w a s t ry i n to plan how t o take him an they
h isted him onto the bed
Cyrus harn e ssed
up ou r horse an went after D r Parks an by
the time h e come we d got the roo m s o s t o
look d ecent
An
if you ll b l i ev e i t !
Ly dd y Ann was in the bedro om t ry i n to war m
Josh up an make h i m take som e h ot drink 3 but
when I begun t o swe ep up an swop towards
that gravel pile in the middle 0 the oor S he

M EAD OWGRASS

74

com e h u rryi n up all ou t o breath She k e t c h e d

th e broo m right o u t o my hand

I ll sw ee p b y m e by says sh e
Don t
n ye !
touch
that
gravel
none
An
ou
o
so
y
the grave l laid there an we walke d round it
watchers an all

She wouldn t have n o watcher in his b ed

room though 3 she was d etermined to do ev e ry
thing but turn him an lift him h ersel f but
there was al ays one o r t w o settin round to
k eep the r e s goin an m ake sure there was
enough cooked up
I swan I never s e e a
woman so happy round a b e d 0 S ickne ss as
She nev e r made no fuss when
Ly dd y Ann was
J osh was awake b ut if he shet his ey e s she d
kind 0 hang over the be d an smooth the
clo e s as i f th e y was kitt e ns an onc e I k e t c h e d
h e r huggin up the sleeve o f his ol d barn coat
that hung outsid e the door I f ev e r a woman
made a fool of herself over a man that wa n t
twas Ly d d y Ann Mard en !
w u t h it
Well
J osh he hung o n for a good while
an we couldn t make o u t whether h e had his
sense s or not
He kep hi s ey e s shet most 0
the time 3 but when Ly d d y Ann s back was
turned h e see med t o know it som e how an
h e d open em an foller her all round the
room But h e ne ver spoke
I asked the d oc
tor about it
C an t he sp eak
doctor ? says I
He

T O L D I N TH E PO OR H O U S E

75

can move that hand a le etle to day Don t you

s pose h e could sp eak if h e d a mind to ?

The doctor he squinted u p his eyes h e

al ays done that when he didn t want to answer
an he says
I guess he s t h i n k i n o n t over
But on e day Ly d d y Ann found sh e was all
beat o u t an s h e laid down in the best be droom
an went to sle ep
I set with Josh
I w as
but when I look e d up h e was
n a rr e r in
o ff
I got up an went
b ec k on i n with his well hand
to the bed

says I He made a little

B e y o u dry ?
motion an the n h e lifted his hand an p i n t e d
ou t i nto the settin room
Do you want Lyd dy Ann ? says 1
She s
laid down
N o he didn t want her I went
to th e settin room door an look e d out an
I dunno how twas i t all com e to m e
I s it that gravel heap ?
says I
DO you
want it carried o ff an th e oor swop up ?
An
he made a motion to say Yes
I called Cyrus
an we made short work 0 that gravel When
I d took up the last mite o n t I went back to
the bed
Josh Marden says I c an you speak o r
can t you ?
But he shet his ey e s an wouldn t
s ay a word

When Ly d d y Ann com e o ut I told her

what he d done an then s h e did give way a

M EAD OWGRASS

76

mite Tw o t e ars com e ou t 0 h e r eyes

an j est rolle d down her che eks but sh e didn t
give up t o em
Sally says sh e sort 0 p e aceful I gu ess
I ll have a cup 0 t e a

Well there was times when we thought

Josh wo uld git round ag in if he didn t have
another stroke
I dunn o w h ether he did have
another or n o t but o n e night he seemed to be
sort 0 sinkin away Ly d d y Ann sh e b egun to
turn white an she s e t down by him an rubbe d
his sick hand
H e looked at he r fust t i m e
he had fair an square
an then he begun t o
wobble his lips round an make a queer noise
with e m Sh e put her h ead down an then
Yes J o sh u ay ! y e s d ear !
An S h e
s h e says
got up an took the pocket book Mandy had
gi n him o ff the top 0 the bureau an la i d it
down on the b ed where h e could git it But he
S hook his head an said t h e word ag in an a
queer look as if sh e was sc ai rt an please d
ashed over Ly dd y Ann s face She run into
the parlor an come back with that old pocket
book h e d give u p to her an s h e put it into
his well hand That was what he wanted His
ngers gripped it up an h e shet his e yes
He

n ever spo k e ag in He di e d that night

I guess S h e died t o o
said Lucy Staple s
unde r he r breath stealthily wiping a tear from
her fade d cheek
l ittle

TO LD

I N TH E

PO OR H O US E

77

didn t eith e r ! retort e d Sally

Flint hastily getting up to p e er from the win
dow down the country road
She liv e d a good
many y e ar right in that v e ry room he d drove
h er out o n an sh e looked as if s h e owned the
airth
I ve studied o n it c o n s i d a b l e an I
al ays S p o s e d twas because sh e d got him an
that was all sh e car e d for There s the hearse

now an two carriages st e p an step

Land ! who s d ead ?

exclaim e d Mrs
Forb e s g e tting up in haste while her ball rolled
unhinder e d to the oth e r end o f the room

I t s Ly d d y Ann Marden
return e d Sally
Flint with the triumphant qui e t of one rst

at the goal
I s e e it this m orn in in th e
County D emocrat when I w a s doin up my

wrist an you w as all s o b usy

No ,

sh e

H E MA N S M A

T wa s half past nine

of

a radiant winter s
night and th e Widder Poll s tooth still
ach ed though sh e was ch e wing cloves and had
applied a cracker poultice t o her cheek She
w a s walking back and forth through the great
l ow studded kitchen where uncouth shadows
lurked and b rooded still showing themselves
ready t o leap aloft with any slightest motion o f
th e ames that live d b ehind th e o l d black re
dogs
At every trip across the room she
stopp e d to look from the window into the
silver p aradise without and at every glance
s h e groaned as if gro aning were a duty
Th e
kitchen was unlighted save by the r e and on e
guttering candle 3 but even through such i n a d e
quate illumination the Widder Poll w a s a gure
c a l cu l a t e d t o stir rich merriment in a satirical
mind
H er contour was rather square than
oblong and sh e was very heavy In fact she
had begun t o announce that he r ankl e s wouldn t
b ear her much longer and S he should s e e the
day when she d have to se t by from m o rn i n
t o night like o l d An ru tt y Gre en that had th e
-

M E AD O WGRASS

80

Widder Poll held both hands t o her face and

groaned again At length curiosity overcam e
her and quite against her j udgment S he spoke
She was always resolving that sh e would n ever
again take the initiative 3 but every time her
resolution went down before the certainty that
if she did not talk there would b e no conversa
tion at all
for H eman had a staying powe r
that was positively amazing

Well ? she began interrogatively

H eman only stirred S lightly in his chair
Wet! ain t you goin t o te ll me what went
on at the m e e t i n
Her quarry answered patiently yet with a cer
tain d ogged resistance o f h er

I dunno 5 th e re 5 anything to tell

How d it go off ?

Bout as usual
Did you spe ak ?
,

No

Lead in prayer ?

No

Wa n t you a sk ed ?
.

No

Well my soul ! Was Roxy C ole there ?

Ye s

D id you fetch her home ?

N o I didn t !
Some mild exasperation
Th e Widder detected
a nimat e d his tone at last
i t, and occupied herself with her tooth
,

H EMAN S MA

81

My soul an body ! I wonder if i t s goin

to grumble all night long !

S he e xclaimed
bending lower over the blaze
I v e tried
everything but a roasted raisin an I b l i eve I

shall come to that

Heman rose and opened the clock on the
mantel ; h e dr e w forth the key from under the
pendulum and slowly wound up the time worn
machinery In another instant h e would b e o n
his way to bed ; the Widder knew sh e must
waste no time in hurt S ilence if S he m eant t o
nd out anything She b e gan hast i ly

Did th ey say anything about th e church

fair ?

They ain t goin to have it

Not have i t ! W e ll how e they goin t o

git the sh i n gl i n paid for ?

They ve got up the idee o f an Old Folks

Concert
Singin
Singin an

Who s goin to play ?

Brad Freeman an J on t Marshall agreed t o
play fust an second ddle
He man paused a
moment and straightened himself with an air of
conscious pride 3 then h e add ed

Th e y ve ask e d m e to play the bass Viol

The Widder had no special obj ections to this
arrangement but it did strike her as an innova
tion 3 an d when she had no other reason for

M E AD O W
GRASS

82

disapproval she still believed in it on general

princ i ples
So altogether effe ctive a weapon
should n ever rust from infrequent u se !

Well ! s h e announce d
I never h eard

r
n
never
o f such c a r yi n s o
H eman was lighting a small k erosene lamp
The little circle of light se em ed even brilliant
in the dusky room 3 it affected him with a relief
so sudden and manife st as to rouse also a tem
ar
r
irritation
at
ha
v
ing
endured
th
e
previous
o
p
y
gloom even for a moment

Ain t you got no O il in the house ?

he
exclaimed testily
I wish you d light up
e v e n i n s an not s e t here by one taller candle
H e had ventured o n this remonstranc e b e fore
the only on e b e p ermitted himself a gainst his
houseke e per s ways and at the instant o f mak
ing it he realized its futility

The gre t lamp 5 all full said the Widder

warming her apron and pressing it to her pou l
ticed face
You can light it if you V e got th e
heart to That was poor Mary s lamp an hard
as I v e tried I never could bring myself to put
a match to that wick
How m any ev en i n s
I v e seen her set by it rockin b a ck a rd s an
fo r a r d s
an her ne edle goin in an ou t She
was a worker if ever there was o n e poor crea

tur
At it all the tim e j es like a silk worm
Heman was perfectly familiar with this ex
planation ; from long repetition he had it quite
,

M E AD O WGR A SS

84

What s h e want to do that now for ? s h e

muttered closing the door again as the cold

struck her che ek

H e ll have to fe ed e m

ag in come night !
But at last h e came and according to his
S ilent wont crossed th e kitch e n to the sink t o
wash his hands He was an unobservant man
and it did n ot occur to him that th e Widder had

th e gown S he kept for

on he r Tycoon rep

nic e
Indeed he was so unused to looking at
he r that h e might well have forgotten he r out
ward appearance
He was only sure o f her
size 3 h e knew sh e cut off a good d eal of light
One S ign howeve r he did recognize ; s h e was
very cheerful with a hollow good nature which
had its m e aning

I got your s h av i n water all ready

sh e

began
D on t you burn ye when ye turn it
,

ou t

I t had once bee n said of th e Widd er Pol l

that if she could hold her tongue the devil him
self couldn t get ahead o f h e r
But fortune
had not gifte d her with such endurance and
she always spoke too often and too soon

Brad Freem an s be e n up here s h e c on

tinned eying H e ma n as sh e drew ou t th e

supp e r table and put up the leaves

I dun
no 3 I ever kn e w anybody so took up as h e is
with that concert an go i n to the v e stry to sing
to night an all He said he d call h e re an
,

,
.

H E MA N S M A

85

ride long 0 you an I told him th ere d be

plenty 0 room for you d take th e pung

If He man felt any surprise at h er knowledge
H e poured
o f his purpose h e did not betray it
out h i s shaving water and looked abou t him
for an old newspaper

I ain t goin in the pung

h e answered

without glancing at her

The shoe 5 most

the runners n o w
o ff n on e o
The Widder Poll set a pie on the table
with an emphasis unconsciously embodying her
sense that now indeed had come the time for
remedie s

I dunno what you can take she re marked

with that sam e foreboding liveliness

Three

an your bass Viol t oo !

o n a seat
Heman was lathering his cheeks b efore the
mirror wh e re a sinuous V enus and a too corp n
lent Cupid disported themselve s in a green

landscape above th e glass

There ain t goin

to be thre e he said patiently

T others are

goin by th e ms e lves
The Widder took up her stand at a well
chos e n angle and looke d at him in S ilenc e
He paid no attention to her and it was s h e
who of nece ssity broke into sp e ech
Wel l ! I ve got no more to s ay D o you
mean to tell me you d go o ff p l a yi n o n d d l e s
an bass viols an le ave m e your o w n wife s
S ister settin here the whole evenin long all

swell e d u w i th t h e t o o thach e ?


M E AD O W GRA SS

86

H eman often felt that he had reached a state

o f mind where nothing could surprise him but
this p oint o f Vi e w was really unexpected H e
decided however with some scorn that the
present misunderstanding might arise from a
confusion o f terms in the feminine mind

This ain t th e concert he replied much as

if sh e had proposed going to the polls

It s
the rehearsal That me ans where you play the
tunes over The conce rt ain t comin off for a

month
And n ow the Widder Poll spoke with the air
o f o n e inj ured almost beyond reparation
I d like to know what differenc e that makes
If a man s goin where he can t take his women
folks I say he d better stay to home ! an if
there s things goin o n there t you don t want
m e to git hold o f I t e ll you Heman Bla i sdell
you d better by half stop s h av i n you n ow an
take yourse l f o ff to bed at seven o clock !
Tr a i p si n round p l a y i n the ddle at your age !

Ain t I fond 0 music ?

No you ain t
burst forth H eman roused
to bri e f revolt wh e re his beloved instrument was

concerned
You don t know Old H u nd e r d

from Yanke e D oodl e !

The Widd e r walked round the table and c on
fronted him as he was turning away from the
glass shaving mug in hand

You answer me o n e que stion ! I know

,

M EAD OWGRASS

88

nerve s soothed by pitchforking the haymow

with the vigor o f one who assaults a citad el
he
was much relieved at nding the atmospher e as
clear as usual 3 and as the early tw i light drew
o n h e becam e almost happy at thought o f th e
vivid pleasure before him
N ever s i nc e his
wife died had h e playe d his bass Viol in public 3

but he had long be en in the habit o f s l y i n g

o ff
upstairs to it as to a trys t with lover o r
friend whom the world d enied
The Widder
Poll though s h e h eard it wail i ng and droning
thenc e never s e riously obj ect e d to it 3 the

practice was undoubtedly s h a l l er but it kep t

him i n th e hous e
Th e y ate supper in silence ; and then w hile
dish e s H e man chang e d h i s
s h e washe d the
cloth es and w e nt to th e barn to harness H e
stood for a mom e nt irresolut e when th e horse
was ready and th e n backed him into th e o l d
blue pung A queer little smile lurked at th e
corners of his mouth

I gu ess the S hoe 11 go o n ce more h e mut

No I ain t goin t o marry ag in ! I

t ere d
s a id I ain t an I ain t But I gue ss I c a n give

1
a n eighbor a lift if I want t o
Brad Freeman was waiting ne ar th e b ac k
door when Heman l e d the horse ou t o f the
barn H e was lank and le a n and his thick red
hair strayed low over th e for e h e ad H i s army
overcoat w as rent here and there b e yond the
ow n

H EMAN S M A

89

salvation which lay in his wife s patient m end

ing and his o l d fur c a p showed the skin in
moth e aten patches ; yet H e man thought with
a wond e ring protest how young he looked h o w
fre e from care
Hullo Heman
called Brad

How are ye ? respond e d H e man with a

cordiality Brad never faile d to e licit from h i s
brother man
H e man l e ft the h orse standing an d opene d
the back door
He stopped short
An awful vision c on
fronte d him
th e Widd e r Poll cla d not only
in the Tycoon rep but h e r b e st palm l e af shawl
her t c h tipp e t and pumpkin hood 3 h er fac e
was st i ll bandage d and her head g e ar had be en
enwound by a gre en a r ge ve i l Sh e stepp ed
forward with an alertness quite unusual in one
so accustomed to re memb e ring her we ight o f
mortal e sh

Here
s h e called
you kind 0 help m e
climb in
I ain t so spry as I was onc e
You b e tter gi v e m e a real boost But land I
mustn t talk I wouldn t git a mite of air into

that tooth for a dollar bill

Heman steppe d into the house for his bass
viol and brought it out with an extr e mity o f
tender care ; h e place d it e nv e lop e d in its
gr ee n baize covering in the bottom of the pung
Some ludicrous association between the baiz e

M EAD OWGRASS

and th e green a r ge veil struck Brad s o for

c i b l y that h e gav e vent to a chuckle S liding
cleverly into a cough
H e tried to m eet
Heman s eye but He man only motioned him to
get in and took his o w n plac e without a word
Brad wondered if he could be ill 3 his face had
grown ye l lowi s h in i t s pallor and h e se em ed to
b reathe heavily
M idway in their drive to the vestry they
passed a woman walking briskly alo n g in the
snowy track
Sh e was carrying her singing
books und er one arm and holding her head
high with that proud lift which had se emed
more than anything else to keep alive her girl
hood s charm

There s Roxy s a id Brad

Here Heman

you let m e j ump o u t an you give her a lift

But H eman looked straight be fore him and
drove on
By the tim e they entered Tiverton Street th e
vestry was full o f chattering groups
H e man
was the last to arrive
H e mad e a lon g j ob o f
covering the horse inside the sh e d resolve d
that nothing S hould tempt him to face the g e n
For h e
e ral mirth at the Widder s entrance
could not d e c eive himself as to the world s
amused e stimate o f h er guardianship and his
submission
H e had even withdrawn from the
School Board where h e had once b e en proud t o
gure b ecause entering the schoolroom one day
,

M E AD O WGR A SS

Whe re s Roxy ?
called J on t Marshall

C an t do without her alto

Any b ody seen

her ?
Roxy was really very late and Heman could
n o t help wond e ring whether s h e had d e lay e d in
starting becau se s h e had expecte d a fri e ndly

invitation to ride
All right
h e reected

b itt e rly
She must get used to it
The door opened and Roxy came in She
had been walking fast an d h e r color was high
H e man stole o n e glance at her under cov e r o f
th e saluting voic es
She was forty years ol d
ye t her hair had not o n e silver thread and at
that instant o f happy animation S h e looked
strikingly like her elder sister to whom H eman
used to gi ve lozenges when th e y were b o y and
girl together and who died in India
Then
Roxy took her place and Heman bent over his
bass Viol The rehearsal began Heman fo r
all
about
his
k
e
e
p
e
r
sitting
by
th
e
stov
e
as
o
t
g
the old familiar tunes swelled up in the little
room and o n e antique phrase afte r another
awok e nerve cells all unaccustom ed nowadays to
thrilling
H e could rem e mber j ust wh e n h e
rst l e arned The Mellow Horn and how hi s

u ncl e
the sailor had used to sing it
Fly

like a youthful hart or roe !

Were the re
spices still l e ft on the hills o f life ? Ah but
only for yout h t o smell and gather ! Boldly
with a happy bravado the choir sang
.

H E MA N S M A

Th e B r i t i s h

W ere

yok e

up

a ce d

on

93

ll

th e

G a i c c ain ,
o u r n e ck s i n
ain !

And then came th e pious climax of Coronation

America and the D oxology Above the tumult
some
o f voices following the end of rehearsal
o n e announced the decision to me et on Wed
his bass Viol again
n e s d a y n i ght ; and Heman
i n its cas e awok e and s a w the Widder putting
Rosa Tolman nudg e d her
o n her gr e en ve i l
intimate friend Lau ra Pettis b e hind Heman s
back and whisp e red
I wonder if she 5 had a good time 1 There
ain t b ee n a sou l for her to speak to the whole
evenin long
The other girl laughed with a d e licious sense
and H e man re coiled ;
o f fun in the situat i on
the sound was lik e a blow in the fac e

Say Heman said Brad speak i ng in his

ear
I guess I ll walk home so t you c an

take in Roxy
But Heman had bent his head and was mov
ing alo n g with the rest like a man under a
burden

No
said he drearily
I can t
You

com e along
His tone was quite conclusive 3 and Brad
albeit wond e ring said no more
The thre e
packed themselves into th e pung and drove
away
Heman was conscious of some dull
relief in remembering that he n ee d not pass
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

94

Roxy again on th e road for h e heard h er voice

ring o u t clearly from a group n ear the church
H e wondered if anybody would go hom e with

her and wheth e r S he minde d the dark spell

woods by the rive r N o matter ! It was

o
She must get used to her o w n
o f n o use
company
The Widder was almost torpid from her lo n g
soj ourn by th e stove 3 but the tingling air roused
her at last and S he spoke though mumblingly
rem embering her tooth
Proper nic e tunes wa n t they ? Was most

e m n ew ?
on
But Brad could not hear and left it for
H eman to answe r 3 and H e man gave his head

a little re stive shake and said

No
At his
he stopped
o w n gate

I gu e ss I won t c a r you down home h e

said to Brad
It was only a stone s throw Brad hesitated

N o I didn t m ean for ye to answered h e

but I l l stop an help unharness

No
said Heman g e ntly
You b ette r

not I d ruth e r do it
E ve n a fri e ndly voic e
had becom e unbearable in his ears
So Brad stepped down lifted o u t his dd l e
case and said good night H e man drov e into
the yard and stopped b e fore the kitch e n door
H e took th e reins in o n e hand and h eld out
the other t o the Widder
,

M E AD O WGRA SS

6
9

about and walked past her o u t o f the house

Th e Widde r Poll followed him wring i ng her
mitten e d hands

O H e man ! s h e cried
don t you look
like that
Oh you ll do yourself some mischief
I kno w you will
But H e man had climbed into the pung and
given Old G a m e l e g a vicious cut
Swinging
o u t o f the yard th e y w e nt 3 and the Widder Poll
ran after unt i l j ust outside th e gate she r e ect e d
that she never could overtake h i m and that her
ankles were weak ; then s h e returned to the
house groaning
H eman was consciou s o f o n e thought only !
if any m an had come home with Roxy he
should kill him with his o w n hands He drove
o n almost to the vestry and found no trac e o f
her He turned about and retracing his way
stopped at h er mo ther s gate left Old G a m e l e g
and strod e into the yard There was no l i ght
in the kitchen and only a glimm er in the cham
ber abo v e
Heman w e nt up to th e k i tchen
door and knocked
The chamber window
op e ned

Wh y
Who is it ?
asked Mrs C ole

that you Heman ? Anybody sick ?

Wh e re s Roxy ? return e d H e man as if he

demanded her at the point of the bayonet
Why sh e s been abed as much as ten min

utes The Tuckers brought her home

,

H EMAN S M A

her

You tell her

come here

to

97

I want to se e

What ! down there ? Law Heman ! y o u

come in the m o rn i n
Sh e ll ketch h e r death
n o w S he s got all
0 cold gittin up an d res si n

warmed through

What s he want moth er ?

came Roxy s

clear voice from w ith i n th e room

That s

Heman Blaisdell s voic e

call e d H e man
Roxy you come down here
mast e rfully
There was a pause during which Mrs C ole
was appar e ntly pulle d awa y fro m the window
Then Roxy her head en v eloped in a S hawl
appe ared in her mother s plac e

Well ! sh e said impatiently

What i s

it ?
Heman s voice found a pleading level

Roxy will you marry me ?

Why Heman you r e p e rfectly ridiculous !

At this tim e 0 n i ght too !

Yo u answer m e !
cri e d H e man desper

ately
I want you ! Won t you have m e

Roxy ? Say ?

Roxy ! cam e her mother s muf ed voic e

from the bed
Yo u l l git your death 0 cold
What s he want ?
Can t yo u give him an

answer an l e t him go ?

Won t y o u Roxy ? called Heman

Oh

won t you ?
,

M E AD O W
GR A SS

8
9

Roxy b egan t o laugh hysterically

Ye s,
and shut th e window
s h e said
When H e man had put up the horse he walked
into the kitchen and straight up to the Widd e r
Poll w h o stood awaiting him clinging t o the
table by on e fat ha n d
N o w look he re
he sai d good naturedly
sp eaking to her with a dire ct address h e had
not be en able to u se for many a month
Yo u
listen to m e
I don t want any hard fe el i n
but to morrer m orn i n you ve got to p i ck up
your things an go Yo u can have the house
down to the Holler or you can go ou t n u s si n
but you com e here by your o w n invitation an
you ve got to leave by mine
I m goin to be

married as soon as I can git a licens e

Then
h e walked t o th e b e droom and shut himself in
with his ruined bass Viol and the darkness
And the Widd e r Poll did not speak

There are very few cosey evenings when

H eman and Roxy d o not smile at each other
across the glowing circle o f their hearth and
the o n e o r the other with a p erplexity
a sk
never t o b e allayed

D o y ou s pose she tumbled o r did sh e

put her foot through it a purpose ?

But Heman is sur e to conclud e the discussion
with a glowing tribute to Brad Fre e man his
g enius and h i s kindliness
,

H E A RT S E A S E
F or

as

f o r h e a r t s e a s e , i t gr o w e t h i n

a sing e n i h t.
g

HAT be you doin o f Mis Lamson ?

aske d M r s Pettis coming in from the
k itchen where s h e had been holding a long
c onversation with young Mrs Lamson o n the
possibility o f doing over sugar bar b erry Mrs
Pettis was a h eavy woman bent almost double
with rh eumatism and sh e carrie d a baggy um
brella for a cane She was always sighing over

the di fculty of gittin round th e house but

nevertheless sh e made m or e calls than any o n e

else in the neighborhood

It kind 0 limbered

her up she said to take a walk after S he had

been bendin over the dish pan

Mr s Lam son looked up with an alert bright
gl anc e She was a little creature and som e
thing still girlish lingere d i n her straight sl e nder
gure and the pois e o f her h ead
Old Lady
Lamson was over eighty and she dressed with
du e deference t o custom 3 but everything about
her gained in th e wearing an air o f youth
Her aggre ssively brown front was rumpled a
little a s if it had tried t o crimp itself only t o

H E A RTS E A S E

1o1

be detected b e fore the operation was well b e

gun and the purple ribbons of h e r c ap are d
rakishly alo ft

I j e st took up a garter sh e said with som e

apology i n her tone

Kind 0 d d l i n work
ain t it ?
Last time I was her e you was k n i tt i n m i t

tins
continued Mrs Pe ttis s e ating herself
labor i ously on the loung e and l e aning fo rward
upon th e umbr e l la clutch e d stead i ly in two fat

hands
You r e d r e t fu l for e hand e d I rem em
h e r I said so then
S a m w e l a i n t got a m i tt i n
to his nam e I says nor he won t have fore
No ve mb e r

Well I guess David s pretty well on t for

everything now answered Mrs Lamson with

som e prid e
H e s got v e pair 0 new mit
tins an my littl e blue ch i st full 0 s t o ck i n s I
an
knit e m t w o
two an two an one an toed
some o n em o ff with whit e an som e with red
so 5 to k ee p em in pairs But Mary said I
bett e r not knit any mor e for fear the moths d
git into e m an so I stopp e d an took up th i s
garter But tt s d r e t ful d d l in work
A bri e f sil e nc e fe ll upon the two while the
sw e et summ e r scents stol e in at th e window
th e br e ath of the cinnamo n ros e of growing
grass and good brown earth Mrs Pett i s pon
d e r e d look i ng vacantly b e fore h e r and O l d Lady
Lamson knit hastily on Her nee dles clicked
,

'

M EAD OWGRASS

Io2

together and sh e turned her wor k with a j er k

in beginning a row But neither was oppre ssed
by lack o f spe ech Th e y understood each

o ther and no m ore thought o f making talk

than o f pulling up a se e d to learn whether it
had germinated It was Mrs Pettis who aft e r
a natural inte rval felt moved to speak
Mary s master thoughtful o f you ain t S h e ?
Tain t many sons wives would be s o tender of

anybody now is it ?
Mrs Lamson looked up sharply and then
with the sam e qu i ck move ment bent her eye s
o n her work

Mary m eans t o do j e st what s right sh e

answered
I f S h e don t make o u t it ain t for
lack o
So I says to S am w el this m orn i n
Old
L ady L amson ain t on e thing to concern h e rself
with says I but to git dressed an s et by the
winder
When dinner time comes sh e s got
nothin to do but hitch up to the tabl e 3 an s h e
don t have to touch h er hand to a dish
N ow
ain t that so Mis Lamson ?

That s s o
agreed Mrs Lamson with a
little sigh instantly suppressed
It s different
from what I thought to mys e lf twould b e when
Mary come h ere
Tain t in natur s h e 11 have
the fe el i n for m e she would for her o w n I
says 3 but I b l ie v e she has an more t o o
When s h e come for good I made up my mind
,

M E AD O W
GR A SS

1 O4

that Friday we spun from four o clock in the

m o rn i n till S ix that evenin b ecause the m en
folks had gone in the ma sh an all we had t o
do w a s to stop an fe ed the critters ? An Hiram
Peasley come alo n g with tinware an you says
I f you r e a mind to stop at my house an throw
a coland er an a long handled d i pp er over the
fenc e under the o w e ri n currant an wait till
next time for your pay I 11 take em says you
But I ain t goin to leave off spi n n i n for any
thing less n Gabriel s trumpet says you
I
rem embe r your sayin that as if twas only yis
t e r d a y 3 an arter you said it you k i nd 0 d ra w e d
down your fac e an looked sc a i rt An I never
thought o n t ag in till next Sabbath evenin
wh en Ji m B e llows rose to sp eak an m ade som e
h a ndle about the D ay 0 Judgment an then I

tickled right out

How you do set by them days
said Mrs
Pettis striving to ke ep a steady face though her

heavy S ides were shaking

I gue ss you re
me mber e m b e tter n your prayers

Y e s I laughed o u t loud an you passed me

a p ep m i n t o v e r the pew an look e d as if you
was goin to cry
Don t says you 3 an it so rt
0 come ov e r m e you knew what I was l au gh i n
at Why if th e r e ain t John Free man s toppi n
h e re
Mary s sister s brother i n law you know
Live s down to B e ll P int Guess he s pullin

up to give the news

H E A RTS E A S E

16

Mrs Pettis came slowly t o her feet and

scanned the farm e r who was hitching h i s horse
to the fence When he had gone round to t h e
back door sh e turned and grasped her umbrella
with a rmer hand

Well I guess tw on t pay m e to set down

ag in s h e announced
I m goin to take it
easy o n the way home
I dunno bu t I ll let
down the bars an poke a little ways into th e
north pastur an s e e if I can t git a mite o
n
n
e
I ll be in ag in to morrer o r next
p
y r y al

day

So d o so do returned Mrs Lamson

Tain t no use to ask you t o come d own I
s pos e ? You don t git ou t so fur nowa

days

No said the other still with that lat e nt

touch o f sarcasm in h er voice

If I should
fall there d be a great hurrah b o ys
re o n
the mountain run boys run
M r s P e ttis toiled o u t into the road 3 and Old
L ady Lamson lay i ng her knitting o n the tabl e
bent forward not to watch her ou t of sight but
t o mak e sure wheth e r s h e really would stop at
the north pasture

No sh e s goin by sh e said alo ud with

evid e nt r e li e f
N O s h e ain t e ither
I ll
be whipped if sh e ain t lettin down the bars !
Tw o u ta smell kind 0 good I d e clare 1
Sh e was still pe ering forward o n e slender
.

M EAD OW
GRASS

1 o6

han d on the window sill when Mary a pretty

young woman with t w o nervous lines b etwe en
her eyes came hurrying in

Mother she b egan in that unnatural voic e

which is supposed t o allay excitement in an

other I dunno what I m goin to do Stella s

S ick

You don t s ay ! said Old L ady Lamson

turning away from the window

What d o they
think tis ?
Feve r John says An sh e s so full bloo ded
it ll b e likely to go hard with her They want
me t o go right down an D avid s go t to carry
m e John would but h e 3 gone to be refe re e
in that land case an h e won t b e b ack for a
day o r two
It s a m ercy D avid s j ust hom e
from town s o h e won t have t o change his
clo es right through
N o w mother if you
should have little Liza Tolman com e an stay
with you do you think anything would happen

s p o s i n we left y o u alone j ust o n e night ?

A little us h rose in the o l d lady s withere d
c he ek H er eye s gleam e d brightly thro u gh her
glasses

Don t y ou worry on e mit e about m e sh e

You change your
replied in an even voice
dress an git o ff afore i t s dark I shall b e all

right

D avid s h arn es sin now said Mary begin

ning to untie h er apron
I sent John down
-


M EAD OW GRASS

1O8

Law no D avid
exclaimed th e ol d lady

looking at h i m wi th beaming prid e

You
stan still an let m e pick that m ite o lint o ff
your arm I shall be tickled t o de ath to git

rid on y e

N ow mothe r couns e lled Mary when S h e

came o u t o f the b e droom hastily tying h e r
bonnet strings
you watch t h e school childr e n
an ask Liza Tolman to stay with you an i f
s h e can t to get o n e o f the
D altons 3 an tell
her w e ll give her some Bartlett p ears when

they re rip e

Yes yes I h ear answe re d the ol d lady

rising and s e tting back h e r c h air in its accus
t o m e d corner
N o w do go along o r ye won t

be d own to Grap e vin e Run afore ve o clock

Sh e watch ed them while they drove o u t o f
the yard shading h e r eyes with o n e nervous
hand

Moth e r
called Mary
don t you stan
there in that wind with nothin o n your h ead
The old lady turn ed back into the house and
he r fac e was alive with glee
Wind ! she ej aculat e d scornfully and yet
with the tolerance o f o n e t o o happy for c om

plaint
Wind
I gu e ss the re wouldn t b e s o
much if some folks would save their breath t o
cool th e ir porridg e
Sh e did not go back to th e sitting room and
her p eac e ful knitting She walked into th e
,

H EARTSEASE

19

pantry where she gave the sh e l v e s a critical

survey and then returning to the kitchen
looked about her once more
If it s o n e day senc e I v e been down su l

lar S he said aloud

it S two y e ar
Sh e was
lighting a candle as sh e spok e In another
moment s h e was taking sprightly step s down
the stairs into the darkness below
s h e chuckled
N ow mother don t you fall
midway in the desc e nt 3 and it w a s undeniable
that the voice sound e d much like Mary s in her
anxious mood
Now ain t I a m ean c re a t ur
to stan here la n ghin at e m
she wen t o n
Well if sh e don t ke ep things nic e ! Taters
a l l sprout e d ; an
the preserve cupboard n e ver
look e d better in my day Mary s been well

brought u p
I 11 say that for her
Old Lady Lamson must have sp e nt at least
half an hour in the c ellar for when she ascended
it was after four o clock and the school children
had pass e d the house on their way home
She
h e ard their voice s under th e elms at the turn of
the road

I ain t t o blame if I can t ketch em s h e

remarked calmly as s h e blew o u t her light
I
don t s ee 5 anybody could s ay I was to blame
An I couldn t walk up to the Tolmans to ask
Liza I might fall
She se t about her preparations for supper It
was a favorite maxim in the household that th e
,

1 1

M EAD O WGRA S S

meal S hould be e aten early to get it o u t o f

the way 3 a n d t o night this unaccustomed hand

maid had additional reasons fo r haste But th e
new bread and preserv e s were ignored She
built a rousing re in the little kitchen stove 3
S h e brought o u t the moulding board and with
tr e mbling eag e rness procee ded to m ix cream
o f tartar biscuits
N ot C ellini himself n o r J ean
nie C arlyle had awaited th e re sults o f passionate
labor with a m or e strenuous eagerness ; and
when s h e drew o u t the panful o f delicat e ly
browned biscuits s h e s e t it down on the table
and look e d at it in sh e er d e light
I ll be whipped if they ain t as good a s if
I d m ade e m every night for the last t w o
year
she cried
I ain t got to git my hand
in an that s truth an fact

She brought o u t some cold b ile d dish

made her strong gr e en tea and sa t down t o a
banq u et such as they taste w h o have reached
the D electable Mountains
I t held within it
all t h e savor o f a happy past ; it satised her
hungry soul
Afte r s h e had washed t h e supper dishe s and
scrupulously sw e pt the h earth sh e rested for a
m oment s tho u ght in th e ol d r ocki n g chair and
the n took her way ca n dle in hand to the attic
There was no further self c o n d e n c e o n th e
H e r hours
stairs 3 sh e was too serious now
were going fast The attic in spite o f the open
,

M EAD O W
GRASS

1 12

th e bac k kitchen from its corner in the sh ed

and o n it place d he r tubs 3 and when the water
was he ated she put the garments into a tub and
rubbed with the vigor and ease o f a woman well
accustomed t o such work All th e sound s o f
the night were loud about her and the song o f
th e whippoorwill came in at the open door
H e w a s very near His pre sence should have
be en a sign o f approaching trouble but Old
L ady L am son did n o t hear him H e r mind
w a s reading the lettered scroll o f a vanished
year
Perhaps th e touch o f the warm water o n her
hands recalled h er t o the present

See ms good t o fe el th e suds

s h e said
happily holding up o n e with e red hand and l e t
ting the foam drip from her nge rs
I wish t
I could dry outdoor
But when m orn i n com e

they d be all o f a sop

She washed an d rinsed the garments and
opening a clothes horse spread them o u t t o
dry Then she drew a long breath put o u t her
candle and wandered t o th e door The gard en
lay before h er unre al in the beauty o f moon
light Every bush seeme d an enchante d wood
The ol d lady went forth lingering at rst as
on e t oo rich for choosing 3 th en with a rmer
st e p She closed the little gate and walked
o u t i nto the country road
She hurried along
t o the o l d signboard an d turne d aside u n crr
,

H EARTSEASE

1 1

into a hollow th e re where sh e stooped

and lled h e r hands with tansy pulling it up
in gre at bu n che s and pressing it eagerly to her
fac e
Seventy four year ago
s h e told the unseen
listen e r o f the night with the same wond e r in

h e r vo i c e
Sir laid dead an they sent me
down here to pick tansy to put round him
Seventy four year ago
Still holding it s h e rose and went through the
bars into the dewy lane
D own the wandering
path trodden daily by th e cows s h e walk e d
and cam e o u t in the broad pastur e irr e gular
with its little hillocks where as s h e had b e en
told from h e r babyhood the Indians us e d to
plant their corn She ent e r e d the woods by a
cart path hidden from the moon and went o n
with a l i ght step gath e ring a bit of gre e n here
and there now hemlock now a ne e dle from
the sticky pin e and inhaling its balsam o n
her hands A sharp d escent and s h e had
r e ach e d the spot where th e brook ran fast and

where lay P e ggy s b i lin spring nam e d for a

gr e at aunt sh e had n eve r s e en but whose gold
b e ads s h e had inherit e d and who had c o n s e
qu e ntly seemed to her a person of opul e nce
and e as e

I wish t I d brought a c u p
S he said

There ain t no suc h water within t w ent y

m i le
i n gl y

M EAD OWGRASS

1 14

She crouched beside the little black pool

wher e the moon glinte d in mysterious waverin g
symbols to b e ckon the gaz e upward and mak
ing a cup o f her hand dra n k e ag e rly There
was a sound near b y as if som e wood creatur e
w e re stirring ; s h e thought s h e heard a fox
barking in the distanc e Yet sh e was re ally
conscious only o f the wonder o f time the sol
e m n record o f the ee ting years
When S he made h e r way back through the
woods th e moon was sinking and the S hadows
had grown heavy As she reached th e bars
again on he r homeward track sh e stopped sud
d e n l y and her face broke into smiling at the
pungent fragranc e rising from the bruised herb
age beneath h er fe et She stooped and gat h
ere d o n e t e lltal e hom e ly we e d mixed as it w a s

w ith the pasture grass

P e n n yr ya l
s h e said
happily and felt the richness o f b e ing
Wh e n Old Lady Lamson had irone d h er
shirts a n d put them away again all hot and
swe e t from the re it was ve O clock and the
bird s had long been try i ng to drag creation up
from sl e ep to sing with th e m the wond e rs o f
the dawn At six s h e had h e r c u p o f tea and
when at eight her son drov e into the yard she
cam e placidly to the side door to m e e t him
her knitting in her hands

Well if I ain t glad ! called David

I
could n t git it ou t o my mind so m e th i n d
,

M IS

W A D LE I G H

Y R U S PEN D LE T O N

G U E ST

by the kitchen
re his stocki n ged feet in the oven and
his hands stretched ou t toward the kettles
which were bubbling prosperously away and
pu fng a cloud of st e am into his face
H e w as
a m eagr e sad colored man with mutton chop
whiskers so thin as to li e like a shadow o n his
fallen ch e eks 3 and his glance wherever it fell
Thick layers o f
s e emed to d e precate r e proof
ann e l swath e d h i s throat and from time to
time h e cough e d wh ee zingly with the air o f
o n e who having a col d was d e t e rmin e d to be
c onscientious about it A voice from the but
t e r y b e gan pouring forth words only a l i ttle
slower than the blackbird S ings and with no
m ore refer e nc e to r e ply
Cyrus don t you fee l a mit e better ? Though
I dunno how you could e xp e ct to arter such a
night as you had o n t p u f n an
M rs Pendl e ton follow e d th e voice Sh e seemed
t o b e b o r n e br i skly in on i t s wings and cam e
scudding o ve r the kitch e n s i ll carrying a pan o f
freshly s i ft e d our
She s e t it down o n the
sa t

'

M IS

WADLEIGH S G U E ST

1 1

table and b e gan

s t i rr i n
I dunno
up
wh e re you go t such a cold unl e ss i t s in th e

air s h e conti n ued

Folks sa y they r e round
nowadays an you k e tc h e m j e st a s you would
the mumps B u t there ! nobody o n your sid e
o r mine ever h ad the mumps as long as I c a n
rem e mber
Exc e pt Elkanah though ! an h e
k e t c h e d em dow n to Portsmouth whe n he
w e nt off on that fool s arrant art e r e l w iv e s DO
you s pose you could eat a mite 0 sh for

dinner ?
I wa s t hi n k i n
interposed Cyrus mildly 3
but his wife sw e pt past him and to o k the road

I dunno s th e re s any use in gittin a r e al

dinn e r j e st y o u an m e an you n o t workin
either Folks say there s more danger o f e a t i n
to o much 11 too little G i lman Lane though
he kep e a t i n less an less a n his stomach dri e d
all up till twa n t no bigger n a bladder
Look her e you ! I shouldn t wonder a mite i f
yo u d got som e 0 them stomach trouble s alo n g
with your cold
You ain t act e d as if you d
rel i she d a m eal 0 victuals for n igh onto t e n
days Soon as I git my hands out o th e our
I ll look in the doctor s book an nd o u t
My how het up I be
She wip e d he r hands
the rolle r towel and unpinned the little
on
plaid shawl drawn tightly across h e r S houlde rs
Its remo v al disclosed a green sontag and under
that man i fold layers o f j acket and waist She

M E AD O WGRASS

I8

was amply protected from the cold

I dunno s

I ought to ha stirred up rye n Inj un she went

on
returning to her vigorous tossing and mix

ing at the tabl e

Some might s ay the steam
was bad for your lungs Anyhow the doctor s
book holds to t you ve got to pick o u t a d ry
climate if you don t want to go into a d ecline
Le m e se e ! when your Aunt Matti e was took
h o w l o ng was it afore s h e really gi n u p ?
Arter

s h e begun to cough I m ean ?

Cyrus m oved uneasily

I dunno he said hastily

I neve r kep

the run 0 such things

But M i r an d y pouri n g h er batter into th e pan
heeded him no more than was her wont

I s po s e that was real ga l l o p i n c o n su m p

tion s h e said with r e lish

I must a sk S i st e r
Sarah how long twas next time I s e e h er

S h e s et it down with the births an d e aths

Cyrus was moved to some re monstrance He
often fe lt the n e ce ssity o f asserting himself l e st
he should pre sently h ear h i s ow n passing bell
and epitaph
I gu e ss you needn t
stop s t e a m i n bread
for m e 1 I ain t half so stuffed up as I was

i
e rd a y
t
s
y

Mrs Pendleton clapped th e loaf into the pot

wrinkling her face over the cloud of steam that
cam e pu fng into it
There
Now p erhaps I
s h e exclaimed
,

M EAD O W GRASS

1 20

oven be ye ? I l l j est stick my feet in a min

ute N o Cyrus don t you m ove ! I ll take
t other S ide
I guess we sha n t com e to

blows over it
She se emed to have bro u ght into th e kitche n
with that freshness o f outdoor air whic h the
new comer bears like a balsam in his garm ents
a breath o f fuller life and even o f j ollity A S
s h e s a t there in h e r good brown dr e ss with h er
worked collar fastene d by a larg e cam eo h er
gold bea d s j ust showing and h e r plump hands
folded o n a capacious lap sh e looke d th e picture
o f j ovial cont e nt quite abl e to take care of her
self and p e rhaps apply a sturdy shoulde r to the
lagging machinery o f th e world
Didn t you g i t word I was comin this

we e k ?
s h e asked
I s e nt y ou a lin e

N o we ain t been s o fur s the p ost o f c e

a n sw e red M i ran d y abs e ntly S he was d e bat i n g
o v e r h e r most fe asibl e b i ll o f fare now that a

pick u p dinn e r s e e m e d n o l o nger possible

Mor e over sh e had so m e thi n g o n her mind and
S h e coul d n o t h e lp t h inking h o w unfortunate it
was th a t Cyru s shar e d he r se cr e t Who cou l d
t e ll at what mom e nt h e might broach it ? S he

doubted h i s d i scr e tion

The roads wa n t

brok e ou t t i ll day b e fore yi st e rd ay

I shouldn t think th e y were ! said M rs

Wadleigh scornfully t e sting the heat with a
hand o n her S kirt and then lifti n g th e breadths

M IS WADLE IGH S G U E ST

1 2 1

back ov e r her quilt e d petticoat

I thought
t h at would be th e way on t but I d made up
my mind to com e an com e I would Cyrus

wha t s the matter 0 you ? Nothin mor e n a

cold is it ?
Cyrus had withdrawn fro m the stove and
was fe eling his ch i n uncertainly

Oh no I gu e ss not he said
We ve
bee n kind 0 p e ak e d for a week or two all ov e r
the n e ighborhood ; but I gu e ss we shall com e
out
on t now w e v e got into the sp r ing
M i ran d y you git m e a mite 0 hot wat e r an

I ll see i f I can t shave

M ira n d y wa s vigorously washing potatoes at th e
S ink but S he turn e d in ever r e ady r e monstranc e

Shave
s h e ejaculated
Well I gu e ss y o u
won t shave such a day as this in that cold bed
room with a s t oc k i n l e g round your throat
an all ! You want to git your death ? Why
twas only last night Marthy he had a he mlock
sweat an all the ginger t e a I could git down
into him
An then I didn t know

Law ! let him alone ! said Marthy with

a comfortable throaty laugh
He ll feel twice
as w e ll git som e 0 them th i ngs o ff his neck
Here Cyrus you reach m e down your mug
ain t th e m your sh av in things up th e re ? a n
I ll ll it for you
You git him a piece 0
an n el M i ran d y to put on when he s washed
up an took all that stuff off his throat Why

M EADO WGRASS

I 22

got enough wool round th e re if twas all

i n yarn to knit Old Tobe a pair 0 m i t t i n s !
An th e y s a y o n e 0 h i s thumbs was bigg e r n
the hand 0 Providence
You don t want to

try all the goo d nes s o u t of him do y e ?

Cyrus gave o n e swift glance at his wife
Th e re yo u s e e
it said plainly
I am not

without d e fenders
He took down his s b av
ing mug with an air o f som e b ravado But
M i ra n d y was n o shrew 3 s h e was simply troubled
about many things

W e l l s h e said compre ssing her lips and

wrinkling her forehead in resignation

If
folks want to kill th e mselv e s I can t h e nder
em
But wh en h e 5 down ag in I shall be the
H e re Cyrus
o n e to take care o f him that 5 all
don t you go i n to that cold bedroom
You

S have you here if you r e d e termined to do it

So Cyrus aft e r honing h i s razor with the
pleasure of a bored child provid e d at last with
occupation betook himself to th e glass set in
the lower part o f the clock and th e r e with
much contortion of h i s th i n visage proc e eded
to shave M i ran d y put her potato e s on to bo i l
and s e t the s h o n the stove to fr e sh e n 3 then
down by the window w i th a great
sa t
sh e
basket bes i de her and b e gan to b i nd shoes

H e re said Mrs Wadl e igh coming to her

fe et and adjusting her sk i rt

you give m e a
nee dle
I ve got my thimble right here in my
he

M E AD O WGRASS

1 24

Mrs Pendleton looked despairingly at her

h usband 3 and he abs e ntly wiping hi s razor o n a
b it o f pap e r looked at her

Marthy ! s h e burst forth

N O Cyrus
don t y o u s ay o n e word ! You can t go 1
Th e re s som ebody there
M rs Wadl e igh in turn put down her work

Som ebody there sh e ej aculated Where ?

In your house

In m y hou se ? What for ?

I dunno said M i ran d y unhappily

Dunno ? Well what ar e th e y doin there ?

I d unno that We only know there 5 some

body there
H ere the brown b read kettle b oiled over
creating a diversion 3 and M i ran d y gladly rose
to se t it furth e r back A sl i ght heat had com e
into Mrs Wadleigh s manner

Cyrus said she with emphasis

I should
like to have you speak I le ft that hous e in
your car e
I left the key with y ou an I
should like to know who you v e been an got in

th e re
Cyrus opened h i s m outh and then closed it
again without saying a word
H e look e d a p
e
a
l
i
n
l
at
his
wife
and
s
h
e
took
up
th
e
tale
3
p
gy
with some j oy n ow that the rst plung e had
been m ad e

W e ll s h e said folding her hands in h e r

apron and b e ginning to rock back and forth
.

M I S WAD L EIGH S G U E ST

1 2

a little color coming into her che e ks and her

eye s snapp i ng v i gorously

You se e this was

the way twas

Cyrus do l e t m e sp e ak !
Cyrus had ine ffectually opened his mouth again
Wa n t i t in N ovember you went away ?
I
thought so
J e st after that rst s pr i n k l i n o
snow that looked a s if twould lay all winter
Well we took th e key an hung it up inside the
clock
an there tis n o w a n once a we ek
reg lar as the day com e round Cyrus went
ov e r an opened the winders an aired out the

house
M r s Wadleigh sat putting her thimble o ff
and o n

I know all about that she interposed but

who s in there now ? That s what I want t o

nd o u t

I m comin t o that
I don t want to g i t
ahead 0 my story
An so t went on till it
come two we eks ago Friday an Cyrus went
over j est the same as ever
An when he
h itched to the gate he s e e smoke comin out o
the chimbly an ther e was a man s face at o n e

square 0 glass
She paus e d enj oying her
C limax
Well ? Why don t you go ahead ? M i ran d y
Jane Pendl e ton I could shak e y ou ! You can
talk fast enough when so mebody else wants the
oor ! How d he g i t in ? What d he sa y for

himself ?
,

12

M EAD OWG R ASS

Why he never said anything ! Cyrus

didn t s e e him

Didn t see him ? I thought he se e him

lookin out the wind e r 1

Why yes ! so h e did but he didn t s e e

him to sp ea k to
H e j est naile d up the door

an come away
M rs Wa d l ei gh turned squarely upon the
d elinquent Cyrus who stoo d half shave n a h
s e n t l y honing his razor

Cyrus said sh e with an alarming decision

will you ope n your h ead an tell m e what y ou
nailed up that door for ? an where you got your
nails ? I s pose you don t carry e m round with
you ready for any door t happens to need

nailin up ?
This ne sarcasm was n o t lost o n Cyrus He
p erc e iv e d that he had b e come the Victim o f a
harsh and ru thless d ealing

I had the key to the front door with m e

an I thought I d j est step round an nail up

t other o n e he said in the tone o f o n e c on

scious o f right
There was some nails in the
wood shed Then I heard somebody s t ep p i n

round inside an I come away

You com e away
rep eat e d Mrs Wa d leigh

rising in noble wrath

You nailed up the
door an come away
Well if you ain t a weak
sister
M ira n d y you hand m e down that key
o u t o the clock while I git my things
,

12

M EAD OW
GRASS

Wadleigh s square gure o n the dazzling road

with a m elancholy determination to stand by
he r t o the last Only when it occurred to her
that it was unlucky to watch a departing friend
o u t o f sight did s h e shut the door hast i ly and
go in to reproach Cyru s and prepare his d i nner
Mrs Wadleigh plodded steadily onward H er
face had lost its robu stness o f scorn and ex
pressed only a cheerfu l determination
Once
or
twice her mouth relaxed in re trosp e c tive
e n j oym e nt o f the scene behind her and sh e
gave vent to a scornful ej aculation
A man in my house
s h e said once aloud
I guess we 11 s e e
She turned into the cross road wher e stood
her dear and lonely dwelling with no neighbors
o n eithe r side for half a mile
and stoppe d a
m om ent to gaze about her
Th e road was
almost untravell e d and th e snow lay encrusted
over th e wide elds sparkling on the heights
and blu e in th e hollows The brown bushes by
a hidde n sto n e wall broke the sheen entran
c i n gl y ; h ere and th e re a dry le af uttere d but
only enough to show h ow still such wint e r still
ness can be an d a ock o f littl e brown b i rds
rose w i th a soft whirr and s e ttl e d further o n
Mrs Wadleigh pres s ed h e r lips together i n a
voicel e ss cont e nt and her ey e s took o n a n ew
brightne ss S he had lived quite long enough in
the town
Rounding a sweeping b e nd and
,

MIS WAD LEIGH S G U E ST

1 2

ploughing sturdily along though it was d ifcult

here to nd the roadway s h e kept he r eyes
xed on a patch o f sk y over a l ow elm wh e re
the chimney would rst come into V iew But
just before it stepped forward to me et her as
S he had seen it a thousand tim e s a telltale token
forestalled it 3 a d e licate blue haze cr e pt out in
spiral rings and ting e d the sk y

H e s got a re 1 she exclaimed loudly

My soul
U ntil n o w the enor
He 5 there
mity o f his offe nce had not penetrated her u m
She had heard the fact without
d e r st an d i n g
realizing it
Th e house was ancient but trimly kept and
it stood within a spacious yard now in b i llows
and mounds o f snow under which lay the
treasures inherited by the spring
The trel
lises o n either S ide the door held the bare cling
ing arms o f j essamine and rose and the sy ringa
and lilac bushe s reache d hardily a oov e the
snow AS Mrs Wadleigh approached the door
s h e gave a rapid glanc e at the hop pole i n the
garden and wonder e d if its Vine had stood th e
winter well That was the third hop Vine she d
had from M i ran d y P e ndl e ton ! Mounting th e
front steps s h e dr e w forth the key and put it
in the door
It turned r eadily enough but
though S he gave more than o n e valiant push
the door itself did not yield It was evidently
barricaded
,

M EAD OWGRASS

1 39

My soul ! said Mrs Wadleigh

She stepped back to survey the pos sibilities
o f attack 3 but at that instant glancing up at th e
window sh e had Cyrus Pendleton s o w n alarm
ing experienc e A head looked ou t at her and
was quickly withdrawn I t was dark unkempt
and the movement was ste althy
That s him 1 said Mrs Wadleigh grimly
and returning to the charge she knocke d civilly
at the door
N o answer
Then sh e pu shed
again
It would not yield She thought o f the
ladd e r in the barn o f the small c ellar window ;
vain hop es both o f them 1
Look h ere
she called aloud
You
l e m e in ! I m the Widder Wadleigh 1 This
is my o w n house an I m real tried stan in
round here knock in at my ow n front door
You le me in o r I shall git my death 0 cold
N o answer 3 and then Mrs Wadleigh as she

afterwards explaine d it
got mad
Sh e
ploughed h er way round the side of th e house
not the side where she had se en th e fac e but

by the b e st room windows

and steppe d
softly up to the back door C yrus Pendleton s
nail was n o longer there Th e man had eas i ly
p u s h ed it o u t She lifted th e latch and set her
should e r against the panel

I f i t s the same ol d button it ll give s h e

thought And it did give She walked st e adily
across the kitchen toward the clock room where
.

M E AD O WGRA SS

walke d all the way from Cyrus Pendleton s !

Th e re ain t nobody likely to be round sh e con

tinned with grim humor
I never knew twas
such a G o d forsaken hole till I d been away
an c ome back to t
N o you n e edn t be
sc ai rt !
The road ain t broke o u t an if twas
we shouldn t have no callers t o day
It s go t
round there s a man here an I l l warrant the
But
s e l e c m e n are all sick abed with colds

there ! s h e added pres e ntly as the soothing

warmth o f h e r o w n kitchen stove began to
p enetrate
I dunno s I oughter call it a God

forsaken place
I m kind 0 glad to git back
There was silenc e for a few minutes while
s h e toaste d her feet and th e man stood sham
bling from o n e foot t o the o th e r and furtively
Sudd enly S he rose
w atching he r and the road
and lifted a pot cover

What yo u go t fo r dinner ?
sh e inquired

genially
I m as holler s a horn !

I put som e potatoes o n said h e gru f y

Got any pork ? o r have you us e d it all up ?

I gue s s there 5 p ork ! I ain t touched it

I ain t eat anythi n g but potato es ; an I ve

chopped wood fo r them an for what I burnt

1
said Mrs Wadleigh
She set
Do tell
th e potatoes forward where they would boil

more vigorously
Well y o u go down su l l a r
str e ak
an bring m e up a little piec e 0 pork

0
fat an stre ak o lean
I l l fry it
an

M IS WADLEIGH S GU EST

33

I ll swe ep up here a m i t e while you re gone

Why I neve r se e such a lookin kitchen !

What s your nam e ? s h e called afte r him a s

he s e t his foot o n the upp e r stair

o
e
He hesitat e d
he
said
falteringly
J

All right then Jo e y ou y round an git

the pork !
S he took down the broom fro m
its accustomed nail and b e gan sweeping j oy
the man shing in t h e pork barrel
o u sl y ;
listened meanwhile to the regular sound above
Once it stopp e d and he held his breath for
a mom e nt and stood at bay ready to dash u p
the stairs and past his pursuers had s h e let
the m in
B ut it was only her own step a p
a c hi n g the cellar door
r
o
p

You bring up a d ozen

Joe
she called

apples B al d i n s I ll fry them too

Something past o n e o clock they sat down
together t o as strange a me al as the little kitchen
had ever se en Bread and butt e r were lacking
but there was quince preserve drawn from som e
hidden hoard the apples and pork and s m o k
ing tea Mrs Wadleigh s spirits rose
Hom e
w a s even bett e r than h er dream s had pictured
it
She told her strange guest all about her
dart e r Lucy and her dart e r Ann s children 3 and
he list e ned quite dazed and utterly speechless

There ! s h e said at last rising

I dun
no s I ever eat such a meal 0 victuals in my
life but I gu ess i t s better n many a poor sol

W
M E AD O
GRASS

34

dier used to have

No w if you ve go t some
woo d to c hop you go an do it an I 11 clear
up this kitchen ; it s a real hurrah s nest if

ever there was o n e !

All that afternoon the stranger chopped wood
pausing fro m time to time t o look from the
sh e d door down the country road 3 and Mrs

Wadleigh singi n g Fly like a Youthful

But

O their end their dreadful end and like mel

odies which had pr e vailed when sh e s e t in the

seats ew round inde ed and s e t the kitchen

in immaculate order Evidently her gu e st had
seldom left that room
He had S lept there o n
the lounge H e had eaten his potatoe s there
and smoked his p i pe
When the early dusk s e t in and Mrs Wa d
leigh had clear e d away their supp er o f bake d
potatoe s and salt sh again with libations of
quince sh e drew up before the shining stove
and put her fe et o n the h earth

H ere ! S he called to the man who was

sitting uncomfortably o n o n e corner o f the
woodbox and eying her with the same e mbar
You draw up too It s
ra s se d watchfulness
the be st time 0 the day now twe en sunset an

dark

I gu ess I d better be
h e returned
dogg e dly

Goin ? Where ?
I don t k now But I m

M E AD O WGR A SS

r3 6

ward and the growing dusk had veiled its

m eani n g
Well
she remarked at length ain t y ou
asham e d t o s e t th e re talkin about it ! Yo u
must have brass enough t o lin e a kittle 1 Why
ain t yo u been like a man an gi n yourself up
i n s t i d o livin h ere t u r n i n my kitchen u pside
d own ? N ow y ou tell me all about it
It ll d o

ye good

I m
said the man breathing hard

a s h e spoke
I m goin away from h e re t o
n ight
Th e y never 11 take m e alive
It was
this way T h ere was a man over whe re I lived
that s most drunk himself und e r ground b ut h e
ain t t oo fur gone to d o mischi e f H e told a li e
about m e an lost m e my plac e in th e sho e
shop T h e n o n e n i ght I met him goin hom e
an we had word s
I struck him
He fe ll
like an o x I kill e d him
I didn t go hom e
more
I didn t even s e e my wife
I
no
couldn t tell he r I couldn t be took th e m
So I run away An when I got starved ou t
an my fe et were most froze walkin I s e e this

house all shet up an I come h ere

H e paus e d 3 an d th e sil e nce was broken only
by the slo w cosey ticking o f the liberated
clock

Well
sa id Mrs Wadleigh at last in a
!

ruminating tone
Well ! well ! Be y ou a

d ri n k i n man ?
,

M I S WADLE IGH S G U E ST

37

I never w a s till I lost my j ob h e answ e red

sullenly
I had a little then
I had a little

the n i ght he sassed m e

W e ll ! well ! sa i d M rs Wadleigh again

And then she continu e d musingly !
SO I
s pose you re Joe M e llen an the man you

struck was Solomon Ray ?

He cam e to h i s feet with a spring

How d y o u know ?
he shouted
Law ! I ve been v i si ti n over Hillside

way ! said Mrs Wadle igh comfortably

You
couldn t ha been very smart n o t t o thought 0
that when I mentioned my dart e r Lucy an
where the c h il d e rn went to school No smarter n
ou
was
to
d
e
p
e
nd
n that o l d wooden button
o
y
I know all about that drunke n scrape But the
queerest part on t was Solo mon Ray didn t
die

Didn t die !
th e words halte d and he

dragged the m forth

Didn t die ?

Law no ! y ou can t kill a Ray ! They

brought him to an xed him up in good shape
I guess y ou m ell ere d him some but he s more
s c a ir t t h an hurt
He won t prosecut e
You
ne edn t be afraid
He said he dar e d y o u to
it Th e re there now ! I wouldn t
My sake
alive l e me git a light
For the stranger sat with his head bowe d on
th e table and he trembled like a C hild
,

M EAD OW GRASS

8
3

N ext morning at eight o clock Mrs Wad

leigh was standing at the door in the sparklin g
l ight giving her last motherly inj unction to the
departing gue st
You kno w wh ere the depot i s ? An i t s the
nine o clock train you ve go t t o take An you
reme mber what I said about hayin tim e
If
y o u don t have no work by the middle 0 May
u
n take you
drop
m
e
a
line
an
perhaps
I
o
c
a
y
an your wife too Lucy s c h i l d ern al ays make
a sight 0 work You keep that bill safe an
Here wait a minute
Yo u might stop at Cyrus
Pendle ton s i t s the fust ho use arter you pass

a n ask e m to put a sparerib an

the corner
a pat o butter into the sleigh an rid e over
here to dinner
You tell e m I m as much
ob l e e ge d to e m for sendin over last night to se e
if I was alive as if I hadn t been s o dead with
sleep I couldn t say so
Good bye
N ow
mind
you
keep
ti
g
ht
hold
that
bill
an
0
o
u
y

spend it prudent !

M EAD OWGRASS

1 4o

ris e s when I ask y ou a civil question an y o u

put o n that look

Amanda bent more closely over h er sewing
Sh e was a woman o f thirty v e with a p a t h e t i
cally slend er gure thin blond hair painstakingly
crimped and anxious blue ey e s Som e thing
d epr e cating lay in her expre ssion 3 her days had
be en uncomplainingly sacriced to the comfort
o f those s h e loved and the desire o f p eac e and
good will had crept into h er face and stayed
there He r mother w h o looked even slighter
than sh e and whose cheek s were pucker e d by
wrinkles sat by the window watching the t w o
with a smile o f empty content Old Lady
Green had lost her mind said th e neighbors 3
but s h e was su fciently like her former self t o
be a sourc e o f unspeakable j oy and comfort t o
Amanda who nursed and petted her a s if their
positions were reversed and protected her from
the blunt criticism o f t h e literal tongued n eigh
b o r h oo d with a re v erential awe b elonging t o
the o l d days when the fth commandment was
written and obeyed

Gold bowed said Mrs Gre en with a look

pointing to h er sister i n
o f unalloy e d d e l ight
law s spectacle s ; and Aunt Melissa re p eated
indulgently

Ye s ye s gold bowed I ll let y ou take e m

a spell arter I v e s e t my he el It ll please he r
poor c re a tu r 1 sh e added in an audible aside

A R I GHTEO U S B A RG AI N

141

to Amanda Sinc e the time when Mrs Green s

wits had c e ased to work normally she had treated
her sympath e tically but from a lofty e m i n e nce
Aunt M e lissa was perhap s too prosp e rous She
swaying back and forth in her thin
s a t th e r e
black silk trim med with narrow rows of velv e t
her h e avy chin sunk upon a broad collar worked
in her youth and s h e seemed to Mrs Gre e n a
vision of maj esty and d e light but to Amanda
a virtuous c e nsor necessarily to be ob e y e d yet
whose presenc e made the summ er day i n t o l er
able
Even her purple cap ribbons bespoke
terror to the evil do e r and h e r hea v y fac e
as a judgment toward th e d o om o f the
s et
man who kne w not how to account for his
actions Sh e began speaking again and Amanda
involuntarily gave a little start as at a lightn i ng
ash
I says to myself when I drove off this morn
in
I 11 have a l itt l e talk with Mandy I don t
a
n
o
there
to
spend
a
d
more
four
time
s
a
g
y
year an l i ke as not sh e 11 be glad t o have some
body t o spea k to s e e i n 5 her mother s how
s h e is
Amanda gave a quick look at Mrs Gr ee n 3
but th e o l d lady was busily pleating the h e m
o f her apron and then smoothing it out again
Aunt M elissa rocke d and went on

I says to myself ! H e re they l e t Ke l u p

carry on the farm at the halve s an go racin

M EAD O WGRASS

42

an trotti n fro m the other place over her e day

in an day out An when his U ncle N at died
two year ago then was the tim e for him to
com e over here an marry Mandy an carry o n
the farm
But no he d ruther hang round the
sleep in the ell chamber an d o
o l d place an
their chores for his board an keep on a ru n n in
over here
An wh en young N at married I
says t o myself That 11 m ake him speak
But
it didn t
an you re a l au ghi n stock Mandy
Green if ever there was o n e Every time th e
neighbors see him s t e pp i n by Saturday nights
all xed up with that brown coat on he s had
sence the year o n e they have s u t h i n to s ay
Goin over to
that 5 what th e y say
An o n y last Saturday o n e o n e m hollered o u t
t o m e when I was pickin a m ess o p ease for
Sunday Wonder what M an d y l l answer when
he gits ro u nd to as k in o f her ? I hadn t a word

to say
Yo u better go to l zz m says I at last
Am anda h a d put down her sewing in her lap
and was looking stead fastly out of the window
with eyes brimme d by two angry te ars
Once
s h e wiped them with a furtive m ovement of
the white garment in her lap 3 he r che eks were
crimson Aunt M e lissa had lashed h erself into
a cumulative pass ion o f words
An I says to myself If there ain t nobody
else to speak t o Mandy I will I says when I
was c o m b in my hair this m o rn i n
She ain t

'

M EAD OWGRASS

44

Be you w e ll to day Mandy ?

s h e said

wistfully
If you ain t well you must take

su t h i n

? )

There the re ! don t you make a to do

an she ll com e round all right

said Aunt
M elissa moving her chair about so that it faced
th e old lady
I l l tell her s u t h i n to take up

her mind a little

And sh e continued in the
loud voice which was he r Concession to Mrs

Gre en s feebleness o f i nt e llect

They ve got
a board er over t o the
Mrs Green s at u p straight in h er chair
smoothed her apron and looke d at her sister
with grateful appreciation
D o tell
s h e said primly

Yes they have

Nam e 5 C hapman They
thought he was a book agent fust But h e s
buyin up o l d dishes an all matter 0 truck
He wanted my andirons an I told him if I
hadn t got a so n in a Boston stor e he might
ha come round m e but I know the vally 0
things n o w You don t want to s e ll them blue
cov e rlids o yourn d o ye ?
Aunt M e lissa so metim es aske d the ol d lady
questions from a sense o f the r e quire m ents o f
conversation and she was invariably startled
when they elicited an answe r

The m coverlids I wove myself fty v e

years ago come next spring said Mrs Green

rmly
Sally Ann Mason an m e used to set
-

A RIGHTEO U S BARGAI N

1 45

up till the clock struck twelve that year spin

nin an w ea v i n
Then w e had a cup o r two 0

green tea an went to bed

Well y o u wove em an you don t want t o

sell em
said Aunt Melissa her eyes on her

work
If you do Lij ah he ll take em right
up t o Boston for you an I warrant he ll git

you a new whit e spread for every o n e on e m

That was the year afore I w a s married

continue d Old L ady Green

I had a set 0
white chiny w i th lavende r sprigs an my dre ss
was chang e able
He had a o w er e d we sk i t
Ma n dy you go into the clo e s press in my
bedroom an git out that weskit an som e 0

them quilts an my M s an O s table cloths

Amanda rose and hurri e d into the b e d room
in spite o f Aunt Melissa s whispered com me nt !

What mak e s you go to ov e rh au l i n thin g s ?

S he l l forgi t it in a minute
While sh e was absent a smart wagon drove
up t o the gate and a young man alighted from
it hitched his horse and knock e d at the front
door
Au nt Melissa saw him coming and
pee red at him over her glasses with an u n re c
o gn i z i n g stare
Mandy
she called
Mandy here 5 a
pedler o r su t h i n 1 I f he s got any essenc e s

a sk h i m for a little bottle 0

o
u
e p m in t
y
p
Amanda dropped the pile o f coverlets on the
sofa and went to the front door Presently s h e
,

IO

M EAD OWGRASS

146

reappeared and with her smoothly talking her

down came the young man His e yes light e d
rst on the coverlets with a look of che erful
satisfaction
Got all ready for m e didn t you ?
he
aske d briskly
Heard I was coming I

guess
H e was a man o f an a lert Yanke e type with
waxed blond mustache and ey e glasses 3 h e was
evidently to be classed among those who have
exchanged their country honesty for a veneer
o f city knowingness
ej aculated Aunt M e
F o r the land s sake
lissa a s soon as sh e had him at short rang e

you re the o n e down to Blaisdell s that s

buyin up all the o l d truck in the neighborhood
W e ll you won t git my andirons
H e had begun to unfold th e blue cove rlets
and e xamine the m with a practised ey e while
Amanda stoo d by painfully conscious that som e
de cisi v e action might be r e quired o f h e r 3 and
he r m other sat watching the triumph o f her
quilts in pleased importanc e

They ain t worth much h e said dropping

th e m with a conclusive a i r
Fact is they ain t
worth anything unl e ss anybody s got a fancy
for such o l d stuff I ll tell you what I ll give
m

fty
cents
apiece
for
th
e
lot
How
any
ou
y

are there her e

four ? Two dollars then
Amanda took a hasty step forward
,

M E AD O WGRA SS

1 48

ing g ood money for what s n o u se t o any b od y

but m e

What is your business ? interrupted Aunt

M elissa

Oh insurance a little o f everything

J ack o f
all trades
Then h e turned to Old

M rs Gre en and asked abruptly

What 11 y ou

take for that clock ?

The o l d lady followed his alert forenger
until her eyes rested on the tall eight day clock
in th e c orner She straight e ned he rself in her
chair and spoke with pride
That was Jonathan s gre t uncle S a m w el l s
H e wound it every Sunday night reg lar as
the day come round
I v e rubbed that case up

till I sweat like rain

Mandy sh e rubs it now

persiste d h e
Well what 11 you take ?
while Amanda in wordless protest stepp ed in

front of the clock

Five dollars ?

Five dollars repeated the o l d lady laps

ing into sensel e ss iteration

Yes ve dollars
But Aunt M elissa cam e t o the re scue
Five dollars for t h at clock ? sh e r e p eated
winding her ball and running the needle s into
it with a conclusive stab
Well I guess th e re
ain t any eight day C locks goin ou t o t/z zr house
Mandy why
fo r ve dollars if they go at all
don t you speak up an n ot stand there like a

chicken with the pip ?

Oh all righ t all right ! said th e visitor

A R I GHTEO U S B A RG AI N

14

shutting h i s knife with a snap and getting

briskly on his feet
I don t care much about
buying That ain t a particularly good style o f
clock anyway But I like o l d things I may
drop i n again j ust to take a look at em
I

suppose you re always at hom e ?

he said to
Amanda with his hand on the door

Ye s 3 b ut sometimes I go to S u d l e i gh with
butter I go Monday afternoons most always
after washin
With a cheerful good day he was gone and
Amanda drew a long breath o f relief

Well some folks have got enough brass to

line a kittle said Aunt M elissa carefully fold

ing her kn i tt i ng work in a large silk h an dk er

chief
Mandy you ll have to git supper a
little earlier n common for m e
I told Hiram
t o come by half arter s i x
D o you s pose
Kel u p l l be round by that time ? I ll wait all
night afore I 11 give up s e ei n him 1

I don t know Aunt Melissa said Amanda

ne rvously clearing the table of its pile o f snowy
cloth and taki n g a ying glance fro m the win
dow She looked like a harassed animal hunted
beyo n d its endurance 3 but suddenly a strange
light o f determination ashe d into her face

Should you j ust as l i ev es set the table s h e

asked in a tone of guilty consciousness while

I start the kitchen re ? You kno w where things

ar e
Hardly waiting for an assent she ed
,

M EAD OWGRASS

159

from

the roo m and once i n the kitchen laid

the re in haste with a glanc e from the window
to accompany every move ment Presently by
a little path through the eld cam e a stocky
man i n blue overalls and the upp er garment
known as a j umper H e was b ound fo r the
pigpen in the rear o f the b a rn 3 and there
Amanda ew t o mee t him stopping only to
throw a n apron over her h ead They met at
the d oor H e was a fresh colored man with
hone st brown eyes and a ring o f whiskers under
the chin H e had a way o f blushing and when
Amanda cam e upon him thus unannounced he
colored to the eyes

Why you re all o u t o b reath ! he said

in slow alarm

O Caleb ! sh e cried looking at h i m with

imploring eyes
I ll feed the pigs t o night
C aleb regarded her in dull wonderme nt
T hen he se t down the pail he had taken

Ain t there an y taters to bile ? h e asked

solving the di fculty in his ow n way 3 or ain t
as
skimmed
the
milk
I
d
j
est
soon
o
u
?
y

wait

answere d Amanda
You better n o t wait
almost passionat e ly her thin hair blowing about
her temples
I d
You better go right back

ruther do it myself ; I d a go od deal ruther

C ale b turned about H e took a few steps
then stopp ed and called hesitatingly over h is
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

down t o young N at s ?
asked Aunt Mel i ssa ;
and Amanda was obliged t o take recourse again

to her shielding I guess not

But at l e ngth
U ncle H i ram drove up in th e comfortable carry
all 3 and though his d e termined sp ouse detained
him more than thre e quarters o f an hour sitting
beside h i m l ike a portly Rhadamanthus and
scanning the horizon fo r the C aleb w h o never
cam e h e nally rebelled shook th e reins and
drove off Aunt M elissa m eantime screaming
over h e r shoulder ce rtain Vigorous d eclarations
which evid ently began with th e p hrase
Yo u
tell K e l up
Then Amanda went into the house and sat
down by the window in the gathering dusk su r
The dream
v e y i n g the wreckage of h e r dream
was even more precious in that it had grown s o
C aleb w a s a part o f her every day life
ol d
a n d for fte en years Saturday had brought a
little fe stival wherein the commonplace man
with brown eyes had be en high pri e st
He
would not come t o night
Perhaps he nev e r
woul d com e again S he knew w h at it w a s t o
fe el widowed
Sunday passed ; and though Caleb fed th e
pigs and did the barn work as usual he spoke
but briey E ven in his customary salutation
How de e ? Amanda d e tected a change o f
of
tone and th e reafter took ight whenever sh e
heard his ste p at the k itchen door So Mon d a y

R I G H T EO U S B A RG AI N

53

passed 3 Caleb brought water for he r

tubs and put out her cloth e s line but they had
hardly spoken
The intangible monster o f a
misundersta n ding had crept betwe en them Bu t
when at noon he asked as usual though without
looking at her
Goin to S u d l e igh with th e
b utt e r to day ? Amanda had reached the limit
o f h e r enduranc e
It see med to her t h at s h e
could no longer bear this formal trav e sty of their
o l d relations and she answere d in haste

No I guess n o t

Then you don t want I S hould s e t with your

mother ?
NO
And again Cal e b turned away an d
plodde d soberly o ff to young N at s

I gu e ss I must be crazy groaned poor

Amanda as she change d he r washing dre ss fo r

her brown cashmere

Th e butt e r 5 got t o go
an now I S hall have t o harness an leave ma am
alone Oh I wish Aunt Melissa d n ever dark
e ned th ese doors
Everything went wrong with Amanda that
day The old horse obj ected to the bits and
occupied tw e nty minutes in exasperating p ro
te st ; th e w he els had t o be greased and s h e
lost a butter napkin in the well Finally breath
less with exertion she went in t o bid her mother
good b y and see that the m atches were hidden
and the cellar doo r fastened

N o w ma am
she said standing over t h e
forenoon

M EAD OW GRASS

54

woman and sp eaking with g reat dis

t in c tn e ss
don t y o u touch the stove will you ?
You j est se t right here in your chair till I com e
back an I ll bring you a good parcel o p ep
mints
Here s your garter to knit o n an
here s the almanac Don t yo u stir now till I

come
And s o with many misgiving s sh e drove
away
When Amanda came back s h e did n ot stay
to unharne ss but hurried up t o the kitchen door

and called
You all right m a am ?
There
was no answer and sh e steppe d hastily across
the oor As s h e opened the sitting room door
a low moaning struck her e ar The old lady sa t
huddled together in her chair groaning at inter
vals and looking xedly at the corner o f the
room

O ma am what is it ? Where be you

hurt ?
cried Amanda poss e ss e d by an anguish
But the old lady only c o n
o f self reproach
tinn ed her moani n g ; and then it was that
Amanda notice d her shrivelled and shaking
ngers tightly clasped upon a roll o f money in
her lap

Why ma am what you go t ?

s h e cried 3
but even as sh e spoke the explanation ashed
upon her and sh e looked up at the corner o f
the room The eight day clock was gone

Here ma am you let m e have it sh e said

ol d

little

15

M EAD OW
GRASS

of

the d enude d sitting room and giving h er

courage no time to cool ran across lots to th e
Blaisdells the hated money clasp ed tightly i n
h e r hand
The family was at supper and the
stranger with them whe n sh e walked in at th e
kitch e n door S he hurried up to her enemy
and laid the little roll of bills by his plate Her
c he eks were scarlet her thin hair ying

H ere 5 your mon e y s h e said in a strained

high voic e an I want o ur things You hadn t
ought to gone over there an talked over an ol d
lady that that
There she stopped Am anda had neve r y e t
acknowledged that her m other was not in her

p erfect mind
Chapman took o u t a long
pocket book and for a mom ent her courage
stood at o od tide 3 sh e thought he was about
But n o
t o accept the money and put it away
H e produced a slip o f white paper and held it
u p b efore h er She bent forward and e xamined
it
a receipt signed by her mother s shaking
hand

But it ain t right ! sh e cried helple ss i n

he r dismay
Cap n Jabez y ou sp eak to
him
You k now h o w tis about mother 1 She
woul dn t any more ha sold that clock than

she d ha sold m e !
C aptain Jabez looked at his plate in u n com
H e was a j ust man but he
fo r t ab l e sil e nc e
hated t o interfere
-

R I G H T EO U S B A RG AI N

57

Well there
he said at length pushing his
chair b ack to leave the table
It don t se em
h
right
to
m
e
but
then
e s got th e r e sa t e
l
e
s
t
j
y
an your mother signed i t an th e re tis

cried Amanda
An you won t do anything ?

Yo u
passionately turning back to the stranger

mean to ke e p them things ?

He was honestly sorry for her a s the b usiness
man for the sentimentalist but he had made a
good bargain and he h e ld it sacred

I de clare I wish it hadn t happene d so

he said good naturedly

But the old lady l l
g e t over it You buy her a nic e bright little
nick e l clock that 11 strike th e half hours and

she ll be tickled to death to watch it

Amanda turned away and walk e d out O f the
house

Here called C hapman

come back and
get your money
But S h e hurried on
Well

I 11 leave it with Captain Jabez he called again

and you can com e over and get it I m going

i n the morning early

Amanda was passing the barn and the re
through the open door sh e sa w th e o l d cloc k
pathetically loaded on the light wagon pro
t e c t e d by burlap and tied with ropes
The
coverlets lay beside it A so b rose in her throat
but her eyes were dry and sh e hurri e d across
lots home
At the back door she found
Caleb unharnessing th e horse
She had for
,

M E AD O W GR A SS

8
5

gotten their m isunderstanding in the pre sent

practical e mergency

sh e
O Caleb
began before s h e h ad
reache d hi m ma am 5 sold the clock an so m e

coverlids an I can t get em back !

Cap n J abez said s h e had this a rt e rn o on

said C al e b slowly tying a trace
I dunno s
the o l d la d y s to blam e
S eem s if s h e hadn t

ought to be l e ft alon e

But how m I goin to get e m back ? p er

sisted Amanda coming close to him her poor
little face pinched and eager
He j e st showed
m e the receipt all signed H ow m I goin t o

get th e things C aleb ?

If he s got the receipt an the things an all
an sh e took the money I dunno 5 y ou c an get

em said C aleb
unless you could prove in a
court 0 law that she wa n t in h er right mind

I dunno how that would work

Amanda s tood looking him in the face
For
th e rst tim e in all he r gentle life s h e w as ques
t i o n i n g masculine sup e riority and i t s present
e mbodiment in Caleb Rivers

Then y ou don t see 5 anything can be

done ?
steadily
s h e asked

Why
no answer e d Caleb still re ecting

N ot unless y ou should go to law

You d bett e r give the pigs som e shorts

said Am anda abruptly

I sha n t bile any

taters t o night
.

,
.

M E AD OWGRASS

6o

But Amanda did not pause Whatever em o

tion th e me eting caused in her was swiftly van
h
u
i
h
e
d
s
e
s
and
whe eled o n C aleb turn e d
q
and walk e d by her side When he had r e c ov
ered su fciently from his surprise he laid a
hand upon her wrist

You set it down an let m e whe el a sp ell

h e said
But Amanda s small hands only grasped the
handle s more tightly and sh e we n t o n
C aleb
had never in his life se en a necessity for pas
s i o n a t e re monstrance but now the mom e n t had
come
h e kept repeating at every step

Why
you give m e holt 0 them handles
Mandy I should t h ink you was crazy !
At length Amanda dropp e d the handle s with
a j erk and turning about sa t down o n the edge
o f the whe elbarrow evidently to ke ep the right
Then sh e b egan to sp eak in a
o f possession
high strained voice that echoe d sharply through
the country stilln e ss
If you ve got t o know
I ll tell y ou an
can
be
a
witne
ss
if
you
want
to
It
won
t
o
u
y
d o no hurt in a court 0 law because I shall
t e ll mys e lf I v e gone an got o u r clock an
o u r coverlids fro m where they were stored in
the Blaisd e lls barn Th e man s got his m on e y
an I ve took ou r things That s all I ve don e

an anybody can know it that s a mind t o

.

A RI GHTEO U S BARGAI N

T hen

sh e

61

rose lifted the handles and went

Caleb walke d by her side
o n panting
But you ain t afraid 0 m e Mandy ? he

imploringly
J est you let me wheel it
s aid
an I won t say a word if I never s e t eyes on

you ag in Jest you let m e wheel Mandy

There ain t anybody goin t o touch a nger

said Amanda shortly

If any
t o it but me
body s got to be sent to jail for it it ll be me
I ca n t talk no more I ain t got any bre ath

to spare
But the silence of years had been bro k en
and Caleb kept on

Why I w a s goin over to Blaisdell s myself

to buy em back Here s my wallet an my
bank book D on t that prove it ? I was goin
to pay any price h e asked I s e t an mulle d
over it all the evenin
I t got late an then I
started
I t al ays has took m e a good long
spell to make up my mind to things I wa n t
to blame this ar t ern oon because I couldn t tell

1
what was best to do all o f a whew
At the beginning o f this revelation Amanda s
shoulders twitched eloquently but sh e said
nothing She reached the gate of the farm
yard and wheele d in panting painfully a s sh e
ascended the rise o f the grassy driveway S he
toile d round to the back door 3 and then C aleb
s aw that she had prepared for her return by
l e aving the doors of the cellar case open and
II
,

M EAD O WGRASS

62

laying down a board ove r the steps S h e turned

the wheelbarrow to d escend 3 and C aleb seeing
his opportun i ty ran before to hold back its
weight Amanda did not prevent him ; sh e
had no breath left for remonstrance When the
clock was safely in th e cellar s h e went u p the
steps again hooked the bulkhead door and
turned even in the darkness unerringly t o the
ight of stairs
You wait till I open th e door into the

k itchen s h e said
There s a light up th ere
And Caleb plodded up th e stairs after her
with his head down amazed and sorrowful

You c a n stay here said Amanda opening

the outside door without looking at him
I m

goin back to C ap n Blaisd ell s

S he hurried o u t into t h e moonlit path across
lots and Cale b followe d Th ey entered the
yard and Am anda walked up to the window
belonging to the b e st be droom It was wide
open and sh e rapped on it loudly and the n
turne d her back

Hello
came a sleepy voice from within

I ve got to speak to you called Amanda

Y ou needn t get u p B e you awake ?

I gue ss s o said the voic e this time sev

eral feet n earer the window
What 5 up ?

I ve be en over an got o ur clock an the

re st of our things said Amanda steadily

An
you v e got your money
I ve carried the
.

M E AD O W GR A SS

64

when she faced the white shirted form at the

window sh e ej aculated
Oh my !
and
ed precipitately round the corner o f t h e
house
S ide by side th e t w o took their way across
lots again Amanda was shaking all over with
weariness and emotion spent
Sudd e nly a
strange sound at her S id e startle d h er into
scrutiny o f C aleb s fac e

Why C al e b Rivers ! sh e exclai m ed in

amazement y o u ain t

I dunno what I m
said Caleb
brushing o ff two big t ears with his j umper
an I don t much care
It ain t your
s leeve
h arn e ssi n for yourself an fe e d i n the pigs an
my not comin Saturday night but i t s s e ei n
l
that
great
thing
all
alone
An
w
h
e
e
i
n
o
u
y
you re so little Mandy I neve r thought much
myself an it al ays se e m ed kind 0 que er
0
of
m
e
but
I
al
ays
could
think
anything
o
u
3
y
s p o se d you d let me do the heft o the work
an n o t cast m e o ff 1

I ain t cast you o , C al e b said Amanda

faintly and in spite o f herself her slender
gure turned slightly but still grat e fully toward
him A nd that instant for the rst tim e in all
their live s Caleb s arms we re upholding her
and Amanda had received her crown
Caleb
had kiss e d h e r
Say Mandy
said he when they parted
-

R I G H T EO U S B A RG AI N

65

a n hour lat e r by the syringa bush at th e back

door
the world w on t come to an end if y ou
don t iron of a Tuesday I w a s t h i n ki n we
could ketch Passon True about ten o clock

better n we could in the ar t e rn oon

,

N
T
O
W
I
N E R S I N S PA I N
O
J

H E Old L adie s Home much to the sorrow

of its inmates se t back from the road

A long box bordered walk led from the great
door d own to th e old turnpike and thickly bow
ering lilac bushe s forced the eye to play a n
unsatis e d hide and seek with the View The
s equestered ol d ladies w ere quite unreconciled
t o their leaf hung outlook 3 active life was pre
su m a b l y over fo r them
and all the more did

they long t o se e the passing of the little

world which had u surp ed their plac es
The
house itself was very o l d a stately square st ru c
ture with pillars on either side of the door and
a fanlight above
It had re mained unpainted
n ow for many years and had softene d into a
m ellow lichen gray so harmonious and pleasing
in the midst o f summer s vital green that the
fe w artists who ever heard o f Tiverton sought it
o u t to plant umbrella and easel in the garden
a nd sketch the stately relic 3 photographers also
made it on e o f thei r accustome d haunts Of
the artists the o l d ladies disapproved without a

M E AD OWGRA SS

68

se ttle d in the Home for life and w h o before

going there had shown no sp ecial waywardness
o f te mper had proved utterly incapable of living
in p eace with any available human being 3 and
as the Home had insu fcient accommodations

n either could be isolate d t o ght h e r black

butteries alone N o inmate though she were
cousin to Hercules could be given a room t o
herself ; and the effe ct of this dual syste m o n
th e se two possibly the most ecc entric o f the
number had proved disastrous in the extreme
Each had in her own favorite fashion
kicke d

o ver the traces as the matron s so n said in

town m eeti n g !much t o the j oy o f the village
fathers ) and t o such purpose that to continu e
the light minded simile very little harness w a s
left to guid e them withal
Mrs Blair being

high sp e ri t e d like all th e C oxe s from whom

s h e spru ng had n o w s o tyrannized over the last
o f her series o f room mates so browbeaten and
intimidated her that the latter had actually
taken to her bed with a slow fever of discourage
she d ruthe r go to the
m ent announcing that
p oor farm and don e with it than resk her life
th e re anothe r night 3 and she d like to know
what had b ecome o f that h u n d er d dollars her
nephew Thomas paid down in bills to get her
into t h e Home for she d be thankful to them
that laid it a way s o antic to hand it back afore
ano t her night went ove r her head s o t sh e
,

J OIN T OWNERS IN SPAI N

69

could board somewhere s de cent till twas gone ,

and then starv e if she d got to
If Miss Sarah Ann Dyer known also as a d i s
turber of the public peace presented a less
aggressive front to her kind s h e was yet in her
own
way a cross and a hindrance to their
spiritual growth She poor woman lived in a
scarcely varying state o f hurt feeling ; her tiny
world seemed to her one close fe deration exist
ing for the sol e purpose o f infringing on her
personal rights 3 and though sh e would not take
the initiativ e in battle sh e lifted up her voic e
in aggrieved lamentation ove r the tragic inci
dents decreed fo r her alone S he had perhaps
never directly reproached her o w n unhappy
room mate for selecting a comfortable chair fo r
wearing squeaking shoe s or S inging Hearken

ye sprightly somewhat early in the morning

but S he chanted those ills through all h e r waking
hours in a high yet husky tone b roken by fr e
quent sobs And ther e fore as a result o f thes e
domestic whirlwinds and t o o stagnant pools
came the dire ctors m eeting and the helpless
protest o f the exasperated president Th e t w o
cases were discussed for an hour longe r in the
dreary fashion pertaining to a question which
has long b e en suppose d to have but on e side ;
and then it remained for Mrs Mitchell the new
director to cut the knot with th e energy of o n e
to whom a di f culty is fresh

M EAD OW GRASS

79

H a s it ever occurred to you to put them

toge ther ?
asked s h e
They are impossible
p eople 3 so naturally you have selected th e
very mildest and m ost C hristian women to e n
dure their nagging They can t li v e with the
saints of the earth
Experience has proved
that Put them into o n e room and let them

ght it ou t together
The motion was passe d with som ethin g of
that awe eve r att e nding a Napoleonic decre e
and passed too wit h the utmost good b re eding 3
for nobody mentioned the Kilkenny cats
The
matron compressed her lips and lifted her
brows b ut said nothing 3 having exhausted her
o w n re sourc es she was the more willing to take
the sup erior attitude of good natured scepticism
The moving was sp eedily accomplished 3 and
at ten o clock on e morning M rs Blair was
ushered into the roo m where her forced col
league s a t by the window knitting There the
two were left alone Miss Dyer looked up and
then h eaved a t e rn p e st uou s sigh over h er work
in the manner o f o n e not entirely surprised by
its advent but willing to suppress it if such al
l e viation might be She w as a thin colorless
woman and innitely passive save at thos e
time s whe n her nervous system conicted with
the scheme o f the universe
Not so Mrs Blair

S he had black e yes like live coals said her

awed associates 3 and her skin w as soft and white
.

M E AD O W GRA SS

72

even with the world

Yo u ain t lost no b ody

have ye senc e I m oved in here ?

Miss Dyer put aside her knitting with osten
t a t i ou s abnegation and began rocking h erself
back and forth in her chair which seemed n ot
Blair s
o f itself to sway fast enough and Mrs
voic e rose again ever highe r and more m e
talli e z

I dunno what you ve got to complain o f

m ore n th e rest of u s
Look at that dress
you v e got on a good thick thibet an
mine 5 a ch eap sleazy alpaca they palm e d o ff
b ecause they knew m y eye sight ain t
on m e
what it was once
An you re settin right
there in the su n gittin het through an i t s
cold as a barn o v er he re by the door
My
land if it don t m ake m e m a d to se e anybody
without no more sp e r i t than a wet rag ! If
you ve lost anybody why don t ye say so ?
An if i t s a mad t speak o ut an sa y that !
Give m e anybody that s got a tongue in their
head I s ay
But Miss Dyer with an unnecess a ry display
o f effort was hitc h ing her chair into the darkest
corn e r of the roo m the rock e rs hopelessly snarl
ing h e r yarn at every m ove

I m sure I wouldn t keep the sun o ff n

anybody she said tearfully

It n ever com e
into my head to take it up an I don t claim
n o share o f anything
I gue ss if th e truth w as

O
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O
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N
ER
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J

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IN

73

known twould be seen I d been us e d to a

house lookin south an the fore room winders
all o f a glare 0 l i ght day in an day o u t an
Madeira Vines c l i m b in over em an a trellis by
the front door ; but that s all past an gone
past an gone
I never w a s on e to take
more n belonged to m e 3 an I don t care who
says it I n ever shall be An I d hold to that

if twas the last word I had to speak !

This negative sort of retort had an enfeebling
e ff ect upon Mrs Blair
My land 1
exclaimed helplessly
sh e

Talk about my tongue ! V inegar s nothin

to cold molasses if you ve got to plough through

it
The other sighe d and leaned her head upon
h er hand in an attitude of extrem e dej ection
Mrs Blair eye d her with the exasperation o f one
whose j ust challenge h a s been refused ; s h e
m arched back and forth through the room now
smoothing a fold o f the counterpane with Vicious
care and again pulling the braid e d rug to o n e
side or the other the while sh e sought new fuel
for her rage
Without the sun was lighting
snowy knoll and hollow and printing the n e
etched tracery of the trees against a crystal sk y
The road was not usually much frequented in
winter time but just now it had been worn by
the week s sledding into a shining track and
several sleighs went j ingling up and down

w
M EAD o
G R Ass

74

T iverton

seizing the opportunity of a per

fec t day a nd th e best o f

going
and was
taking i t s way t o market The trivial happ en
ings o f this far away world had thus far elicited
no more than a passing g lance from Mrs Blair 3
sh e w a s too absorbe d in domestic warf are even
to pe er down through the leaess lilac boughs
in futile wonderment as t o whose bells they
m ight be ringing m errily past
On o n e j our
ney about the room however som e c hanc e
arrested her gaze She stopped tran s xed

Forever ! sh e cried H er nervous blue

veined hands clutched at her apron and held it 3
s h e was motionless for a mom e nt
Yet the pic
ture without would have bee n quite devoid o f
interest to th e casual eye 3 it could have born e
little signicance save to on e w h o knew the
inne r life history of th e Tiverton Home and
thus m ight guess what slight events wrough t all
its j oy and pain A young man had s e t up his
camera at the end o f the walk and thrown th e
cloth over his head preparatory t o taking th e
usual View o f the house Mrs Blair recover e d
from her temporary inaction
She rushed to
the window and thre w up the sash H e r husky
voic e broke strenuously upon the still n ess
Here y ou ke ep right whe re you b e
I m
goin t o be took
You wait till I com e
She pulled down the window and went in
h as te to the closet in the exce ss of her e ager
w as

M E AD O WGR A SS

76

The Victim put both trem b lin g h an d s to her

e ars
I ain t d e e f 1 s h e wailed
De e f ? I don t care whether you re d ee f o r
dumb or wh ether you re num mer n a be etle
It 5 my bandbox I m arter
I s r e l in Egypt
you might grind some folks in a mortar an y o u
couldn t make em speak
It was of no u se
Intimidation had bee n
worse than hopeless 3 even bodily force would
not avail
She cast o n e lurid glance at the
supine gure and gave up the qu est in that
d irection a s she er waste o f time
With new
determination s h e again e ssayed the closet
tossing sho es and rubbers behind h er in an
unsightly heap quite heedless o f the confusion
At last in a dark corn e r
o f rights and lefts
b ehind a blu e chest she came upon her treas
ure T OO hurried now for reproaches she drew
it forth and with trembling ngers u ntie d the
strings Casting aside th e cover S he produc ed
a huge scoop bonnet of a long past date and
setting it on her head with the sam e fevere d
haste tied over it the long gured veil destined
always to make an inseparable part o f her state
array She snatched h e r stella shawl from the
drawer threw it over h er shoulders and ra n o u t
o f the room
Miss Dyer was left quite bewildered b y these
erratic proceedings but she had n o mind to
.

O
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77

question the m 3 so many stories were rife in the

Home o f th e eccentricities e mbodied in the

charitable phrase Mis Blair s way that sh e

would scarcely have be en amazed had her ter
rible roo m mate chosen t o drive a coach and
four up th e chimney or saddle the broom for a
midnight revel
She dre w a long breath o f
relief at the bliss o f solitude close d her eyes
and strove to regain the lost p e ace which
as she vaguely remembered had belonged to
h e r onc e in a shadowy past
Silenc e had come but not to reign
Back
ew Mrs Blair like a whirlwind
Her cheeks
wore each a little hectic spot 3 her eyes were
aming The gured veil swept rudely to o n e
side w a s borne b ackwards on the wind of he r
coming and her thin hair even in those few
seconds had becom e wildly disarranged
H e s gone
sh e announced passionately

He kep right on while I was n d i n my

bun n it
He com e to take the house an he d
h a took m e an been glad
An when I got
that plaguy front door open he w as j est d r iv in
away ; an I might ha hollered till I was black
in the face an then I couldn t ha made him

hear

I dunno what t o say n or what n o t to

remarked Miss Dyer to her corner

If I
speak I m to blame 3 an so I be if I keep

still

12

M EAD OWGRASS

8
7

The other ol d lady had thrown h erself i n t o a

chair and was looking wrath fully before her
I t s the sam e man that com e from S u d l e i gh

last August sh e said bitterly

He took the
house then an said he wanted another Vie w
when the leaves w a s o ff 3 an that time I was
laid up with my stiff an k le an didn t git i n to
it an t o day my b un n i t was hid an I lost it

ag in
Her voice changed To the liste n er it too k
o n an awful m eaning
An I should lik e t o know whose fault it
was
If them that owns the winder an s e t by
it till they se e him comin had spoke up an
said Mis Blair there s the photograph man
D on t y o u want t o be took ? it wouldn t ha
been too late ! I f anybody had answered a
civil que stion an said Your b u n n i t box sets
there behind my blue chist it wouldn t h a
been t o o late then ! An I ain t had m y like
ne ss took sence I was twenty year o l d an went
to S u d l e i gh Fair in my changeable a zs z te an
leghorn hat an Jonathan wore th e brocade d
weskit he stood up in the next week Thursday
I t s enough t o make a minister swear 1
Miss Dyer rocked back and forth
D e ar m e
D ear m e su z 1
s h e wailed
The dinner bell rang creating a blessed diver
sion
Mrs Blair rendere d absent minded by
her grief went to the table still in her bonnet
,

M E AD O WGRASS

8o

the empty chairs xed an annihilating gaze o n

o n e where the dinner tray still remaine d
I s pose there 5 no need 0 my settin

down sh e re marked bitingly

It s all in the
d ay s work
Som e folks are waited on 3 som e
ain t Some have their victuals brought to em
an pushed under their noses an some has to
g o to the table ; when th ey re there they can
take it or leave it The quality can ke ep their
waiters settin round day in an day o u t l l in
up every chair in th e room
For my part I
should think they d have an extension table

m oved in an a snowdrop cloth over it !

Miss Dy e r had become comparati vely placid
but now sh e gave way t o te ars

An yb o d v c an move that waiter that s a

mind to she said tremulously

I would m y
self i f I had the stren th 3 but I ain t got it I
ain t a well woman an I ain t been this twenty
year If old Dr Parks was alive this day h e d
You ain t never had a chance he
s ay so
says to me
You v e been pull hauled o n e way
An he never
o r another sence y o u was born

knew the wust o n t for the wust h adn t come

Humph !
I t was a royal and explosive
note
It represente d scorn for which Mrs
Blair could nd n o a d equate utterance
She
selecte d the straightest chair in the room osten
t a t i ou sl y t u r n e d its back to her en e my and
s e a t e d herself T hen taking out her knitting
,

J OINT OWN ERS I N S PAI N

81

she strove to keep silence 3 but that was to o

heavy a task and at last she broke forth with
renewed bitterness

To think of all the wood I ve burnt up i n

my kitchen stove an air tight an never thought
nothin of it ! T 0 think o f all the wood there
is now, gro w i n an ro t t i n from Dan to B e er

sheba an I can t lay my ngers on it !

I dunno what you wa n t 0 wood I m sure

this room s warm enoug h

Well I ll t e ll ye
I want
You don t ?
some t w o inch boards to nail up a partition in
the m i ddle 0 this room same as Josh Marden
done t o spite his wife
I don t want more n

my o w n but I want it mine

Miss Dyer groaned and drew an uncertain
hand across h e r for e head

You wouldn t have no gre t o f an outlay

for boards sh e said drearily

Tw o u l d n t
have to be k n e e h igh to keep m e ou t
I m no
hand t o go where I ain t wanted ; an if I ever

was I guess I m cured on t n o w

Mrs Blair dropp e d her knitt i ng in her lap
For an instant s h e sat there motionless in a
growing rigidity 3 but light was dawning in her
eyes
Suddenly sh e cam e to he r fe et and
tossed her knitting o n the bed

Where 5 that piec e 0 chalk you had whe n

you ma rked ou t your tumbl e r quilt ?

The
words rang like a m a rtial order
,

M EAD O W GRASS

82

M iss Dyer drew it forth fro m the anc i ent

looking bag known as a cavo which was ever
at her side

Here ti s sh e said in her forlornest quaver

I hop e you won t do nothin ou t o the way

with it I should hate to git into trouble here

I ain t that kind

Mrs Blair w a s too e xcited to hear or heed
her She was briey a shi n gl y taking in the
p ossibilities of the room her bright black eyes
darting h ere and there with ery insistence
Suddenly s h e went to the closet and diving to

the bottom o f a baggy pocket in her t other

dress drew forth a ball o f twine She chalk e d

it still in delighted haste and forced one end
upon her bewilde red room mate

You go o u t there to the middle square 0

the front winder s h e commanded

an hol d
your e nd 0 the string down on the oor I ll

snap it
Miss Dyer cast on e despairing glanc e about
h er and obeyed

Crazy ! s h e muttered
O h my land !
she s crazy 5 a loon I wisht Mis Mitchell d
pitch her tent here a spell
But Mrs Blair was following ou t her purpose
in a manner exceedingly methodical D rawing
o u t o n e bed so that it stood directly oppos i te
h er kneeling helper sh e passe d the cord about
the leg o f the bedstead and made it fast 3 then
,

M EAD OW GRASS

84

The sensation was new and very pleasant M r s

Blair went back an d forth through the close t
lane putting her clothes away with high good
hu mor O nce o r twice sh e sang a little
D erby s Ram and Lord Lovel
in a cracke d
voice She was in love with solitude
J ust before tea Mrs M itchell in som e t r epi
dation knocke d at the door to s e e the fruits o f
contention present and to come She had ex
to
h
ear
loud
words
e
c
t
e
and
the
silen
c
e
quite
d
3
p
terri ed her emphasizing as it did her ow n
guilty sense of personal re sponsibil i ty Miss
Dyer gave on e appeal ing look at M r s Blair
and then with som e indecision wen t t o open
the d oor for the latch was in her house

W e ll here y ou are co mfortably settled

began Mrs Mitchell S he had the unmistaka b le
tone o f profe ssional kindliness 3 yet it rang

clear and tru e

May I c o me in ?

S e t right down h ere answer e d Miss Dye r

drawing for w ard a chair
I m real pleased t o

se e ye

And h ow are y ou this morning ?

This w a s
addre ssed to the occupant of the other house
who quite oblivious to any alien pre sence stood
busily rubbing the chalk marks from her dress
Mrs Blair mad e no answer S he might hav e
be en stone d eaf and as dumb a s th e hearth
stone bricks Mrs Mitchell cast a n alarmed
l
g ance at her entertainer
.

O
I
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ER
S
J

S PAI N

IN

85

Isn t she well ? sh e said softly

It s a real pre tty day ain t it ? respond e d

Miss Dyer
If twas summ e r tim e I should
think there d be a sea turn afore night I like
a sea turn myself It smells j est like Old Boar s

Head

M rs
I have brou ght you down some fruit
Mitchell was still anxiously observing the silent
gure now absorbe d in an apparently futile

search in a brocad e d work bag

Mrs Blair
do you ever cut up bananas and orange s
together ?
N 0 answer The visitor rose and unwittingly
stepped across the dividing line

Mrs Blair
she began but she got n o
further
Her hostess turned upo n her i n surprise d
welcome
Well if it ain t Mis Mitchell ! I ca n t
say I didn t expect you for I see yo u goin into
Miss Dy e r s house not more n two minutes
a go
S eem s to m e you make short calls Now
set right down h e r e where you can see ou t o
the winder
That square s cracke d but I

gue ss the directors 11 put in another

Mrs Mitchell was amazed but entir e ly inter
It was many a long day since any per
e st e d
s o n o fcial o r privat e had met with cordiality
from this quarter

I hope you and ou r friend are going t o

W
O
MEAD
GRASS

86

enj oy your roo m to g e the r sh e essayed with a

hollow c h e erfulness

I exp ect to be as gay as a cricket returned

M r s Blair innocently
An I do trust I ve
got good neighbor s I li k e t o keep to myself
but if I ve got a neighbor I want her to be

somebody you can dep e nd upon

I m sure Miss Dyer m eans to b e very

n eighborly
The director turned with a smile
to include that lady in the conversation But
the local deafness had engulfed her S he was
sitting peacefully by the windo w with the air o f
o n e retired within herself to think her own very
remote thoughts Th e visitor m entally i m p ro
vised a little theory and it seemed to t the
occasion They had quarrelled she thought
and each was disturbed at an y n otice bestowed
o n the other
I have been wo n d e ring whether you would
b oth like to go sleighing with m e some after

noon ?
ventured with the humility s o
sh e
prone t o assail humankind in a frank and

shrewish pre sence

The roads are in won
d e rfu l condition and I don t b e lieve you d take
cold D o y ou know I found Grandmother
Eaton s foot warmers the other day I 11 bring

them along

L aw I d go anywheres t o git out 0 here

said Mrs Blair ruthle ssly
I dunno when
I ve set b e hin d a horse , either I gue ss the
,

W
M E AD O
GRASS

88

Then the situation dawne d upo n M rs Mitchell

with an e ffe c t vastly surprising to the t w o ol d
pensioners She turned from o n e to the other
including them both in a lo ok of warm loving
kindness I t was truly an illumination Hitherto
they had thought chie y o f her winter cloak and
nodding ostrich plume 3 n o w at last they saw
he r face and read som e part o f its me ssage

You poor souls !

s h e cried
D o y ou

ca re so much as that ? O you p oor so u ls !

Mis s Dyer ngered h er apron and looked at
the oor b ut he r companion turned bru squely
a w ay eve n though s h e trod upon the partition
in h e r haste

Law ! i t s nothin to make such a handle

she said
Folks don t want to be unde r
of
each other s noses all the time
I dunno s
anybody could stan it unless twas an e mm et

Th ey see m to git along sw ar m i n round together

Mrs Mitchell left the room abruptly
Wedn e sday o r Thursday th e n
s h e called
over her shoulder
The n e xt forenoon Mrs Blair made he r
neighbor a long visit Both ol d ladies had their
k nitting and they sat p eace fully swaying back
and forth recalling time s past and occasionally
alluding t o their happy Wedne sday

What I really come in for said Mrs Blair

nally was to ask i f you don t think both ou r

settin rooms need new paper

.

O
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O
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S
J

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IN

89

The other gave o n e bewildered glance about

h er

Why
tain t bee n on more n two weeks
s h e began 3 and then remembrance awoke in
her and s h e stopp e d It was not the scene o f
th e ir refug e and conict that must be con
it was the house of fancy built by
s id er ed ;
e ach unto herself
I nvention did not com e
easily to her as yet and sh e spoke with som e
hesitation

I ve had it in mind myself quite a spell

but somehow I ain t bee n able to x on the

right sort 0 paper

What do you say to a kind of a straw color

all lit up with tulips ?

inquire d M rs Blair
triumphantly

Ain t that kind 0 gay ?

Gay ? Well y ou want it gay don t ye ? I
dunno why folks se em to think they ve got
to live in a hearse because the y expect to ride
i n one
What if we be gittin on a little mite
i n years ? We ain t unde rground yit be we ?
I se e a real good ninepenny paper once all
covered over with gre e n brakes I declare if
twa n t swee t pre tty ! Well whether I paper
or whether I don t I ve got som e thoughts of
a magenta s o fy I m t i red to death 0 that old
horsehair lounge that sets in my clock room
Sometimes I wish the moths would tackle it
but I guess they ve got more sense I ve al ay s
.


W
M E AD O
GRASS

I 90

said t o myself I d have a mag e nta s ofy when I

could git round to it and I dunno s I shall be

any nearer to it than I be now

We ll you a r e tasty
said Miss Dyer i n

s om e awe
I dunno how you c ome to think
0 t h at
Priest Rowe had o n e when I wa n t more n
twenty
S ome 0 his relations give it to him
he
married
into
th
e
quality
an
I
re
m
e
mber
)
!
as if twas y i s t e rd ay what a tew there was over
it An I said to myself then if ever I w a s
prospered I d have a m age n t a sofy I ain t got

to it till now but now I 11 have it if I die for t

Well I guess you re in the right o n t

Miss Dyer spoke absently glancing from the

window in growing trouble

O Mis Blair !
sh e
continued with a sudden burst o f c on

d en ce
you don t think there s a storm
b re w i n
d o y ou ?
If it snows Wednesday I

shall give up beat !

Mrs Blair in her turn peered at the smiling
sky

I hope you ain t o n e 0 them kind that

thinks every fair day s a weather bre eder she

said
L aw no
I don t b l i ev e it will storm 3
an if it do es why there s other We dne sdays
com i n

M E AD O W GRA S S

I92

That s only Dilly w rastl i n with her bed

he called back in the a ct of stepping ov e r the
wall into the m e adow
Tw o n t do no good
t o take holt once unless you re round he re
every m o rn i n bout the same time
Dilly l l

git the better on t S he al ays doos

So the
editor laughed put down anothe r Tiverton
custom in his m ental notebook and drove

on

Dilly was a very little woman with a b normally

long and sine w y arms Her small rather deli
c ate fa c e had a healthy coat o f tan and h er
iron gray hair was braided with scrupulous care
She rese mbled h er o w n hous e to a striking
degre e 3 s h e was fastidiously neat but not in
the least orderly The Tiverton houseke epers
could not appreciate this attitude in reference
to the conventional world It was all very well
to keep the kitchen oor scrubbed but they did
believe also in seeing the table properly s e t
a nd in nishing the washing by eight O clock o n
Monday morning
N ow D illy seldom felt i n
She was far more
c l i n e d t o set any ta b le at all
likely to tak e h er bread and milk under a tre e 3
and as for washing Thursday was as good a day
as any she was wont to declare M o reove r th e
tradition o f hanging garm ents on th e line a c
c ording to a s e verely classied syste m did not
i n the least app eal to her

I gue ss a p ett ic oat l l dry j est a s quic k i f

,

S U DLE I G H

AT

FAIR

93

it s hung sid e o f a nightgown

she told her
critics drily
An when y ou com e to hangi n
1
a
s
by
the
pair
better
separate
e
m
I
n
s
s t oc ki
y
Give e m a vacation once
Like man an wife
in a while an love 11 live the long e r
Dilly was thinki n g this morning of all the
possibilitie s of the lovely shining day So many
delights lay open to her ! S he could take her
luncheon in h er pocket a n d go threading
through the wo ods behind her house
She
cou ld walk over to Pine Hollow to see how the
cone s were coming on and perchance scrap e
together a basket o f pine n e edles to add to he r
winter s kindling ; or she might if the world
and th e desires thereof assaile d her visit Sud
leigh Fair
Better still she need ac c o un t to
nobody if sh e chose to sit there on th e door
stone and let the hours go unregrett e d by
P resently her happy musing was broken by a
ripple from the outer world
A girl ca me
briskly round th e corner where th e stone wa ll
lay hidden und e r a w ild erness of cinnamon r ose
bushes and blackberry vines Rosa Tolman
dressed in white 3219 2 2, with a great leghorn hat
over her curls The girl cam e hurrying up the
path with a rustle of starched p e tticoats and
still Dilly kept h e r trance like posture
I know w h o tis
s h e announced presently

i n a declamatory voice
It s Rosy Tolman
an she s dre ssed in white with red roses all

I3

M EAD OWGRASS

94

complete an sh e s goin to S ud l eigh C attle

S ho w
Rosa lost a shad e o f pink from her ch e eks
He r round blue eyes widened in an u n m i st ak
able terror quite piteous to see
O D illy ! s h e quavered h ow do y ou know
such thi n gs ? Why you ain t looke d at m e
Dilly opened her ey e s and chuckled in k een
enj oym ent
Bless ye
I can t help i m p osi n
s h e said
o n ye n o more n a cat could help k e t c h i n a
mouse if t made a n est down her throat Why
I s e e ye co min round the corner ! But when
folks thinks you re a witch it ain t in human
natur not to fool em
I a m a witch ain t I
d ear ? N o w ain t I ?
Rosa s color had faltered b ack but she still
stood visibly in awe o f h e r ol d neighbor

Well sh e owned
Elvin D re w says y ou
can se e in th e dark b ut I don t know 5 h e

m eans anything by it
A gain D illy broke i n to laughter rocking back
and forth i n happy abandonment

You tell
I can
gleefully
s h e cried
him I can
An when I c an t folks are so
neighborly th ey s trike a light for m e t o se e by
You tell him
Well now what is it ? You v e
c ome to ask su thi n
Out with it
Father told m e to come over and see if y ou
can t tell something about ou r cows They re

M E AD O WGRASS

6
9

years you trampled o n him as if he d bee n the

dust under your fe et H e was poor an strug
glin
H e was left with his mother t o take car e
o n an
a mortgage t o work o ff An then his
house b u rnt down an b e got his insurance
m oney 3 an that minute you turned right round
an says I 11 have you
An n ow y ou s ay I s
it all right ?
I ! it right Rosy Tolman ?
You
tell m e
Rosa w a s sobbing hysterically

Oh I wish you wouldn t scare m e 5 0 1

s h e exclaimed yet not for a mom ent a ttempting
to withdraw her hand o r turn aside her terri e d
gaze
I wish I never d said on e word
Dilly broke the spell as lightly as sh e had
woven it A smile passed over her face li k e a
charm disp elling all its prophetic fe r vor
The re
there
sh e
said dropping the
girl s hand
I thought I d scare ye
What s
the u se 0 be in a witch if ye ca n t upset folks ?
N ow don t cry an git your cheeks all blotched
up afore Elvin calls t o fetch ye with that hired
horse an take ye to the C attle Show But don t
ye forgit what I s ay ! You remember we ain t
goin to wait for t h e Day 0 Jud gment none o n
us
I t comes every hour
I f Gabriel w a s
tootin should you turn fust to Elvin D rew an
go up o r down with him wherever he was
l e ct ed ?
That 5 what you ve got to think o n ;
n o t your n e w hat nor your white pi que !Didn t

AT

SU DLE I G H

F AI R

19

iron it under the overskirt did ye ? How d I

k now ? Law ! how s a witch know an ything ? )
N o w you ain t opened your bundle de a r have

ye ? Raisin cak e in it ain t there ?

Rosa bent suddenly for w ard and placed the
p ackage in Dilly s l ap In spite of the bright
daylight all about her she w a s frightene d ; if a
cloud had swept over she must have screamed

I don t know how you fou n d it out sh e

whispered but tzs raisin cake Mother sent it
S he knew I w a s going to ask y ou about the
c ows She said I was t o tell you t o o there s
so m e sickness over to S ud l e igh and S he thought
you could go over there nussing if you wanted

to

I ain t got time said Dilly placidly

I
give up n u ssi n two year ago I ain t got any
tim e at all
Well here they come don t they ?
One for m e an on e for you
A l ight wagon driven rapidly round th e
corner drew up at the gate
Elvin Drew
j umped down and helpe d ou t h i s companion
a S hort rather thickset girl with smooth dark
hair honest eyes and a sensitive mouth S he
cam e qu ickly up th e path after an embarrassed
word o f thanks t o the young man

H e took me in she began almost apolo

i
a l l y t o Rosa w h o surveyed he r with som e
e
t
c
g

haughtiness
I was comin up here t o se e

Dilly an he offered m e a rid e

'


M EAD OW GRASS

I 98

Rosa s color and spirits had returned a t t h e

S i ght of her tangible ally at the gate

Well I guess I must be going s h e said

Elvin won t want to wait Good

a rr i l y
by
D illy I l l tell father Good b y Molly Drew
But D illy followe d her down to the road
wher e Elvin stood waiting with the reins in his
hands H e w a s a very blond young man with
curly hair and eye s hone st in contour and clear
Perhaps hi s coloring impresse d o n e
o f glance
with th e fact that he S hould hav e looked very
young 3 b ut his face shrunk now behind a subtile
veil o f ke en anxiety of irritated em otion which
were evidently quite fore ign to him Even a
stranger looking at h i m could hardly help su s
p e c t i n g an alien trouble grafted upon a h ealthy
stem H e gave D illy a pleasant little n o d in
the act of turning eagerly to help Rosa into the
wagon But whe n he would have followed her
D illy laid a light but imp erative hand o n hi s
arm

D on t y ou want your fortune told ? s h e

asked m e aningly
Here 5 the witch all ready
Ain t it well for m e I wa n t b orn a h u n d e r d
year a go ? Shouldn t I ha sizzled well ? An
now all there is to burn m e is G o d A m igh t y s
s unshine
Elvin laughed lightly

I guess I don t ne ed any fortune he said

Min e looks pretty fair n o w I don t feel as i f


M E AD O W GRASS

2 oo

good cook if her c h il d e rn Iz a ve all turned out

ducks an took to the water Eve ry o n e o n
em 5 took back as much as thre e g e nerations
for the ir nose s an temper s S trange they had

t o go so fur !
S he broke the rich brown loaf in the middle
and divide d a piece with Molly S uch were the
habits calculated to irritate the conventionalities
Who ever heard o f
o f Tive rton against her
b reaking cake when o n e could go into the hous e
fo r a knife
They ate in silence and the d e
lights o f th e summ er day grew upon Molly as
they never did save when she felt the nearness
o f this que er little woman
Turn which sid e
o f h er personality s h e might toward you D illy
could always bend you to her ow n train o f
thought

I com e down to talk things over

said
Molly at last bru shing the crumbs o f cake
fro m h e r lap
I v e got a chance in the shoe
,

s h op f

Do tell

Well ain t that complete ? D on t

you say on e word now ! I know how tis
You think how you ll have to give up th e birds
singin an your goin into the woods arter
o a rd i n
an
stay
cooped
up
in
a
b
un
i
n
ro
d
e
g
p
house to S u d l e i gh
I know how tis ! But
don t you fret You c om e right h ere an stay
Sundays an we ll eat up the woods an drink
up the sk y 1 The re
I t s better for ye d e a r

S U DLE I G H

AT

S ome folks are made

to

F AI R

201

live in a holler tre e

You ll be better on t
,

like m e ; some ain t

among folks
Molly s eyes lled with tears

You ve be en real good to me sh e s aid

simply

I wish I d begun it afore responded Dilly

with a quick upward lift o f her head and he r
brightest smile
You se e I didn t know ye
very well for all you d lived with old Mis Drew
I ain t had muc h t o do with
s o many year
fol k s I knew ye hadn t go t n obod y except
her but I knew too ye were contented there
a s a cricket But when sh e died an th e house
burnt down I b egun to wonder what w as goin

to becom e on ye
Molly sat looking over at the pin e woods
her lips compressed her che eks slowly redde n
ing Finally sh e burst passionately forth
Dilly I d like to k no w why I couldn t have
got some rooms an kep house for Elvin ? His
mother s my o w n aunt
She wa n t his mother ye know S he w a s
his stepmother for all they s e t so much by one
another Folks would ha talked an I gue ss
Rosy wo uldn t ha stood that eve n afore they
were engaged
Rosy may not like corn fodder
herself any more n t oth e r dog did but sh e
ain t goin t o se e other noses put into t without

sn a pp i n at em

M EAD OW
GRASS

202

Well i t s all ove r

said Molly dre arily
I t ai n t been hard for m e st ayi n round as I v e
done an sewin for my board 3 but it s seemed
pretty tough to think o f Elvin livin in that
little shanty o f C aleb s an doin fo r himself I
neve r could se e wh y h e didn t b oard som e

where s d ecent

Wants t o save h i s s ix h un d erd dollars t o

o
o
u
t West an start in the furniture business
g
s aid D illy succinctly
C o me Molly what s ay
t o walkin over to S u d l e i gh Cattle Show ?
Molly threw asid e he r listless mood like a
garm ent

Will y ou ? sh e cried
Oh I d like to
Yo u know I m sewin for Mis Eli P i ke ; an
they asked m e t o go but I knew sh e d ll up
the seat s o I should crowd em out o f house

an ho m e
Will you Dilly ?

You wait till I git su t h i n or other to put

ove r my h ead said D illy rising with c he erful

decision
H ere you gi m e that cake ! I ll
tie it up in a ni c e clean piec e 0 table cloth an
then we 11 take along a few eggs so t we can
trade e m o ff for bre ad an che ese You j est pull
i n my sheets an shet the winder while I do it

Like as n o t there 11 be a shower this a r t e rn o on

When the little gate closed behind them
M olly felt eagerly excited as if she were setting
forth fo r a ye ar s happy wand e ring Dilly knew
the ways of the road a s well a s th e wood She

M EAD OW GRASS

2 04

Why that s what made m e give up n u ssin

t w o year ago
sh e
said happily
I wa n t
b avin n o tim e at all
I couldn t live my prop er
life I al ays knew I should com e to that so I d
raked an scraped a n put into the bank till
I thought I d got enough to buy m e a mite o
our while I lived an a pine co f n arter I
die d ; an then I j e st s e t up my Ebenezer I d
be a s free s a bird
Fre er I guess I b e for
the y have to scratch pretty hard com e cold
weather an I bak e m e a tater an then go
c l i p p i n o u t ove r the crust lookin at the bare
twigs Oh i t s complete
If I could live thi s
way I gue ss a thousand years d be a mighty
small dose for m e
Look at that goldenrod
over there by the stump That s the kind that s

th
e
most
s
mell
o
t
g
Molly b roke on e o f th e curving plumes

I don t see as it smells at all s h e said still

snif ng delicately

Le m e take it ! Why y es it does t oo !

Oftentime s i t s s o
E verything smells s om e
faint it s m o re like a fe el i n than a smell But
there y o u ain t a witch a s I be i
I wish y ou wouldn t s ay that
put in Molly

courage ously
You make p eople think y ou

are

1
said D illy with a
Law then let em
kindly indulgenc e
It don t do the m n o hurt
an it gives me more fun n th e county n ews

AT S UDLE I G H

F AI R

29

paper Th e y d ruther I d say I w a s a w it c h n

t e ll em I v e got four ey e s an eight ears W here
they ain t but two I tell ye there s a good
deal missed when ye stay to home makin p i es
an a good deal ye c a n learn if ye live out door
He dunno why
Why there 3 Tolman s cows
they dry up ; but I do
He sends that little
Davie with em that don t have no proper play
time ; an Davie gallops em all the way to
pastur so t he can have a minute to sh in the
brook An then he gallop s em home ag in
because he s stole a piece out o the a rt e rn oo n
I k et c h ed him down there by th e brook on e
day workin away with a bent pin an the next
m o r n i n I laid a s h hook o n the rock an hid
in th e woods t o s e e what he d say My I guess
Jonah wa n t more tickled when he se t foot o n
dry land Here comes the wagons ! There s
the Poorhouse team fust an Sally Flint settin
up straighter n a ramrod An there 5 Heman
an Roxy 1 S he don t look a day older n
tw en ty v e
Proper nice folks all on em bu t
they mak e m e kind 0 homesick j est because
they e folks They do look so sort 0 common
in their b un n i t s an v e ils an I keep t h i n k i n 0
little four legged c r eat ur s all fur
The Tiver
ton folk saluted the m always cordially yet
e ach afte r h i s kind They liked Dilly as a
p r oduct all their own but o n e to be partaken
of sparingly like some wild intoxicating root

2 06

M EAD OW GRASS
-

They loved her bette r at hom e t oo tha n at Sud

leigh Fair I t was like a betrayal o f their re
side secrets to se e her there in h e r accustomed
garb 3 s 0 slight a conce ssion to propriety would
have lain in h er putting on a bonnet and shawl
As they neared S u d l e igh town the road grew
populous with carriages and farm wagons
ste p

and step
n ot all fro m Tiverton way but
gathered in fro m the roads converging here
Men were walking up and down the market
stre et crying their whips their t oy balloons
and a multitude o f cheap er gimcracks

Forty m ile s from hom e ! forty miles from

h om e
calle d o n e more imaginative than the
re st
And n o plac e to lay my head
That s
why I m selling thes e little whips here to day
a strange r in a strange land Buy one ! buy
o n e ! and the poor pilgrim 11 have a supper
and a bed
K e ep your money in your pocket
an d h e s a wanderer o n th e face o f the earth
D illy th e fearless in her ch o se n wilds took a
fold o f Molly 5 dress and held it tight

s h e whispered
You s pose that s s o ?
Oh de a r ! I ain t got a mite 0 money o n y
these si x eggs
Oh why didn t he stay t o
home if he s so possessed to sle ep under cover ?
What does anybody leave their hom e f or if

they ve got o n e ?
But Molly put up h e r head and walk e d
sturdily on
,

M EAD OWGRASS

2 08

stopping befor e a h eifer w h o had ceased e at

ing and was loo k in g about her with a mild
and dignied gaze
D illy eagerly sought o u t
a stick and bega n to scratch the delicate

head
Pretty c re a t u r ! Smell 0 her breath
Molly ! S e e h er nose all wet like pastur
grass afore day ! N ow if I didn t want to live
b y myself I d li k e t o curl m
e up in a stall
sid e

0 her
M andy you an Kel u p c ome here
called
Aunt M elissa Adams She loom ed very pros
p e ro u s over the way in her new poplin and

her lace trimmed cap e

Jest look at these
ro osters ! They ve go t spurs o n their legs as
What under th e
long 5 m y d ar n i n ne edle
e m gro w so ! An ain t they the
su n makes

n i pp i n e s t little c r ea t u r s you ever se e ?

They re gh t in cocks a nswe red C al eb

tolerantly

You don t mean t o tell

F igh t i n cocks ?

m e they re trained up for that ?

Ye s I d o !

Well I n eve r heard 0 such a thin g in a

C hristian land ! never ! Whose be they ? I ll
give him a piec e 0 my mind if I live another
minute

said Cale b
Yo u better let other folks alone
stolidly

Mandy returned Aunt M elissa in a por

be you goin to st a n by
t en t ou s undertone
.

AT S U DLE I G H

an

F AI R

29

your o w n aunt spoke to as if sh e w a s the

dirt unde r your fe et ?

Amanda had once in her life asserted hersel f
at a crucial moment and sh e had never seen

cause t o regret it N ow sh e spoke o u t again

She made her slender neck very straight and
stiff and her lips s e t themselves rmly over the
words

I guess Caleb won t do you n o hurt Aunt

M elissa He don t want you should make your
self a l a ugh i n stock nor I don t e ither There 5
U ncle Hiram over lookin at the pigs I guess
h e don t se e you
Caleb le s we move o n 1
Aunt Melissa stood looking after them a
m ass o f quivering wrath

Well I must say !

she retorte d t o the

If I live I must say !

e mpty air
Dilly took her placid companion by t h e arm
and hurried her on
Human j angling wor e
sadly upon her ; under suc h maddening o n
she was not incapab le o f develo p i ng
sl a u g h t

nerves
They stopped before a stall where
anoth er heifer stood chewing her cu d an d look
ing away into remembered pastures

Oh se e ! said Molly
Price

Do you b l i e v e it ?

Well well ! came M rs Eli Pike s rum i

nant voice from th e crowd
I m glad I don t
I shouldn t S le ep nights i f
o w n that c r e at u r !

I had ve h un d e rd dollars i n c ow

see

14

M E AD O W
GRASS

2I0

Tain t ve h un d e rd dollars
said Hiram
Tain t
Cole elbowing his way to the front
i
n
t
d
e
right that s all P int off two ciphers
p
Five dollars 1 snickered a Crane boy div
ing through the crowd and proceeding to stand

on his h ead in a cleared space beyond

Th a t s
w u t h less n Miss Lu c i n d y s hoss
H iram Cole considered again on e lean hand
stroking his cheek

ft y
Five
he announce d
Well I
guess tzs ve h u n d e r d arter all ! Anybody
must want to invest though to put all their

incom e into p erishable c o w e sh !

You look real tired

whispere d M olly
L e s c ome inside an p erhaps we can s e

down
Th e ol d hall seem ed to have donned strange
carnival clothes for a mystic Saturnalia
It
was literally swad d led in bedquilts tumbler
quilts rising suns Jacob s ladders log cabins
and the m o re modern and altoge ther te rrib l e
crazy quilt There were squ are yards o f tidi e s
and furlongs o f home knit
o n wall and table
lace Dilly look e d at this product of the patient
art o f woman with a dispirited gaze

See ms a kind o f a waste o f time don t it ?

dreamily
when t h ings are b l o w in
sh e said
outside ? I wisht I could s e e su t hi n made onc e
to look as handsome as gre en buds an branches
Law dear now j est turn y our e y es away fro m

'

M EAD OWGRASS

2 12

n e ighbor M i s Dyer ma d e with her ow n hands

a n sh e s bent double 0 rheumatiz An I said

I d bring e m for her an I d set by an se e

things done fair an square

There Mrs Blair don t y ou worry said

M rs M itchell a director o f the Home putting
a hand o n the martial and belligerent shoulder
Don t you mi n d if s h e doesn t get a premium
I 11 bu y th e pinballs and that will d o almost as

well

My ! if there ain t goin t o be trouble b e

tween Mary Lamson an S ereno s Hattie I l l
m iss m y guess
said a matron wit h an a pp re
c i a t iv e
wag o f her purple bonneted head

They v e either o n e m canned up more pre

s erve s n Tiverton an S u d l e i gh put together an
Mary s got I dunno what all among em !
an dandelion an punkin with lemon
s quash
in t That s st e pp in a cro s t the b ounds ! say
I f sh e gits a pre mium for pu t t i n up gardin sass
I l l warrant there 11 be a to d o An Hattie 11
m ake it
I guess th ere won t b e no set t o about such

small p o t at e rs said Mrs Pike with dignity

Her broad b a ck had been unre cognized by the
herald careless in her haste
Hattie 5 ready
a n willin t o divide the premium if t comes to
her an I guess Mary d be put her in the sam e

plac e

1
My soul an b ody
exclaimed another

SU DLE IG H

AT

F AI R

21

trudging up and waving a large p al m l e af fan

Well
there R osanna P ike ! I s that you ?
Excuse m e all if I don t stop to speak round
the circle I m so put to t with P asso n True s
You know h e s be en as m a d as
c a r ry i n s o n
hops ove r S u d l eigh Cattle Show reg lar as the
year com e round because there 5 a ra fe for a
quilt o r su t hin
An n ow he s com e an se t up
a sort o f a stall ove r t other side the room an
folks thinks he s t ryi n to git up a revival I
dunn o when I ve see n J ohn s o stirred H e
says we hadn t ought t o be mad e a l a u gh in
stock t o S u d l e igh Passon o r n o Passon An
o l d Square Lamb says
But the ckle crowd waited t o hear no more
With one impulse it surged over to th e othe r
side o f the hall where Parson Tru e standing
behind a ta b le brought down from th e Academy
was saying solemnly
L et us engage in prayer
Th e whispering ceased ; th e titters o f e m
b arra ss m en t were stilled and mothers tightened
their grasp on little hands t o emphasize th e
change o f scene fro m light to graver hue
Some o f th e men looked lowering 3 o n e or two
strode o u t of doors They love d P arson Tru e
but the C attle Show was all their o wn and they
re sented even a ministerial innovation
The
parson was a slende r wiry man with keen blue
eyes a serious mouth and an overtopping
.

M EAD O WGRASS

2 14

forehead from which the hair was always

brushed straight back
H e called upon the

Lord with passionate fervor t o

bless this
p eople in all t h eir outgoings and c o mings i n
and to ke ep their feet from paths where H is

blessing could not attend the m

I s that the raf e mother ?

whispered the
smallest C rane boy ; and h i s moth er promptly
administere d a shake fo r the correction o f mis
pla c e d curiosity
Then Parson True op ene d his eyes on his
so mewhat S ham efaced ock and their neigh
b or townsmen and began t o pre ach
It was
good to be there he told them only as it was
good to be anywhere else in the spirit of God
Judgment might overtake them there as it
m ight at hom e in house o r eld Were they
prepared ? H e bent forward over the table
his slim form tre mbling with the intensity o f
gathering passion H e appeale d to each o n e
p ersonally with that vibratory quality of addre ss
p eculiar to him wherein it seeme d that not only
his lip s but his very soul challenged the souls
before him
O ne afte r another j oined th e outer
circl e and faces bent forward over the sho u lders
i n front with that strange arrested e xpression
inevitably born when o n the ood o f sunny
weather we are remind e d how deep the dark
n e ss is W ithin the grave
L e t every man s ay to himself Thou God
,

21

W
O
M E AD
GRASS

The words roused Elvin or p ossibly the r e

straining touch
He started ba c k

I can t ! he cried o u t stridently

I

ca n t yet ! I can t ! I can t !

Still l e ading R osa who was crying now i n
good e arnest h e turned and pushed his way
the crowd
But once outside that
out
of
warm hum an circuit R osa broke loose from
him She tried to speak fo r his ear alone but
h e r voice strove petulantly through her sobs

Elvin D rew I should think y ou d be

a shamed o f yourself ! You ve made m e r i d i c
and I n ever 11
ul o u s before the wh ole town
speak t o you again as long as I live
If I
hadn t stayed with you eve ry minute I should
think you d been drinking and I b e lieve to my

soul you have !

S he buried her face in her
handke rchief and stumbled over t o a table
where Laura P e ttis w a s standing open eye d
with amazem ent and the two clasped each
other while Rosa cried o n
Elvin only looked
about him in a bewildered fas h ion when th e
warm hand was wrenched away 3 then realizing
that he was quite alone his he ad bent under a
deeper d ej ection H e seem ed unable to move
from the spot and stood there quite stupidly

until murmurs o f What 5 th e matter o f him ?

came fro m the waiting crowd and Parson True
himself advanced with hands again outstretched
But Dilly J oyce fore stalled the parson S he t oo
,

SU DLE I G H

AT

FAIR

21

came forward in her quick way and too k Elvin

rmly by the arm

sh e
Here dear
said caressingly
you
1
c ome along out doors with us
Elvin turned still hanging his head and th e
thre e !for little Molly had come up on th e
other side trying to stand very tall to sho w her
championship ) walked out of the hall together
Dilly had ever a quick eye for green growing
things and she r e me mbered a little corner o f
the enclosure where one lo n e elm tre e stood
above a bank Thither sh e le d him with an
assured step 3 and whe n they had reached th e
shadow sh e drew him forward and said still
tenderly

There dear you set right down here an

think it over
We ll stay with ye
We ll

never forsake ye will we Molly ?

Molly w h o di d n o t know what it was all

1
about had no ne ed to know
N ever
S he
said stanchly
The thr e e s at down there 3 and rst the slow
minutes and then the hours went by It had
not be e n long before som e one found o u t where
they were and curious groups began to wander
past always in silenc e but eying them intently
Elvin sat with his h ead bent looking xedly at
a root of plantain 3 but Molly confronted th e
alien face s with a haughty challenging stare
while her c he eks pa i nted th emselves eve r a
,

2 I

W
M EAD O
GRASS

deeper re d
Dilly leaned happily back against
the elm trunk and dwelt upon the e e c e
hung
and her blue eye s grew still calmer and
sk y ;
more content
S h e looked as if sh e had
learne d what things are lovely and o f good
repute
When the town clock struck noon
forth their little luncheon and
s h e brought
pre sse d it upon the others with a nice hos
al i t
Elvin shook his head but Molly ate a
i
t
p
y
trie for pride s sake

You go an git him a mite 0 water w h i s

p ered D illy whe n they had nish ed

I
would but I dun n o the ways 0 this place

I t ll taste good to him

M olly nodded and hurried away ; pre sently
bearing a tin cup and Elvin
s h e came back
drank though he did not thank h er
I n the early afternoon Ebenezer Tolm an
c am e striding down between the p ens in osten
H e w a s a tall red fac e d
t a t i ou s indignation
man with a larg e loose mo u th and blond
gray whiskers always parted and blowing in
the W ind
H e wore with manifest pride th e
reputation o f being a dangerous animal when
roused
He had bought a toy whip at little
D avie s earnest solicitation and lashing it sug
against
his
boot
he
began
speaking
i
l
e
t
v
e
s
g
y
long before h e reached the little group The
lagging crowd of listeners paused breathless t o
l o s e no word
.

22

M EAD O WGRASS

Elvin c am e to his feet with a lurch

He
straightened himself

I ve got to talk to the p arson said he

So I thought answere d D illy with com

u
r
e
o
s
but tain t n o pla c e here You a sk
p
him t o ride an le t Miss D orcas drive home
alone We four 11 stop a t my house an then

o
u
c
an
talk
it
over
y
Elvin obeyed like a child tire d of his o w n
way
When they packed themselves i n to the
wagon where Dilly insiste d on sitting b e hind
t o m a ke room th e Tiverton and S u d l e igh
p eople stood about in groups t o watch the m
Hiram C ole came forward j ust as Elvin too k
up the reins

Elvin said he i n a cautious wh i spe r with

his accustomed gesture o f scraping his cheek

I ve got su t h i n to s ay to ye Don t ye put

no money into Dan F orb e s s hands I v e had
a letter from brother Lisha ou t in Illinois an
he says that busine ss Dan wrote to you about
well there n ever was none 1 There ain t a stick
An D an s be en cut
0 furniture made the re
tin a dash lately with money he got som e r s o r
other an h e s gambled an I dunno what all
an been took u p An now h e s in j ail So
don t you send him nothin
I thought I d
.

s p e ak J

Elvin looked at him a mom ent with a stran g e

little smile dawning a b out his mouth
,

AT

SU DLE I G H

F AI R

22 1

That s all right

he said quickly and
drove away
To Molly the road home was like a dar k
passage full of formless fears She did not even
know what had befallen the dear being S h e loved
best 3 but something dire and tragic had stricken
h i m and there fore her The parson w a s acutely
moved for the anguish he had not probed Only
D illy remained che erful W he n they reached
her gate it was s h e w h o took the halter from
E lvin s hand and tied the horse
Then sh e
walked up the path and ung open her front
door

Come right into th e settin room she said

I ll git ye som e water right out o th e well

My throat s all choked up 0 dust

The cheerful clang of the bucke t against the
s tones the rumble of the W indlass and then
D illy cam e in with a brimming bright tin dipper
S he o ffe r e d it rst t o the parson and though
s h e relled it scrupulously for each pair of lips
it s e emed a holy loving cup They sat there in

the darkening room and Dilly stepp e d round

and began t o ge t supp er
Molly n e rvously
j oine d her and addressed her once or twice
in a whisper
But Dilly spoke out clearly in
answer as if rebuking her
s h e said when
Le s have a real good tim e
s h e had drawn th e table forward and set forth
Passon draw
h e r bread and apples an d te a

M EADOWGRASS

22 2

up
Yo u drink tea don t ye ? I d on t myself
I neve r could bear to spil e good water But I
ke ep it on han d for the m that like s it El v in
h ere ! You take thi s good big apple
It s

man s size more n woman s I guess

Elvin pushed ba c k his chair
I ain t goin t o put a mouthful o f victuals t o
my lips till I make u p my mind whether I can

sp eak or n o t h e said loudly

All right answered Dilly placidly

Bless
ye ! the te apot l l be goin all night if y e say

so

Only Dilly and the parson made a meal 3 and

when it was ove r Parson True rose as if his
part of the strange drama must at last begin
and fell on his kne es
L e t us pray
Molly t oo knelt and Elvin threw h i s arms
upon the table and laid his h e ad upon them
But Dilly stood erect From tim e to time she
glanced curiously from the parson to the lovely
darkened world outside her l i ttle square o f
window and smiled slightly tenderly a s if ou t
there she s aw the visible God
The parson

prayed fo r this sick soul our brother over

and ove r in many phrase s and with true and
passio n ate desire
And when the praye r w as
done h e put his hand on th e young man s shoul
der a n d said with a yearning p ersuasiveness

Tell it n ow my brother 1 J esus is here

,

M EAD O WGRASS

2 24

D arkne ss settled in the room and the h eav

e n l y hunter s moon rose and dispell e d it

O God ! can I ?
broke forth the young
m an
O God ! if I tell I 11 go through with
it I will so help m e
Th e m oving patterns o f th e vin e a t the
window began to etch themselves waver i ngly on
the oor Dilly bent a nd traced the outline o f
a leaf with her nger
I ll tell
cried Elvin in a voic e exultant
over the prospect o f freedom
I ll tell it all
I wanted money
The girl I meant to have
was goin with somebody else an I d got t o
s c rape together some money quick I burnt
down my house an barn I got the insurance
money I sent some o f it o u t West to put into
that furniture business an Dan Forbe s has
m ade way with it I only kept enough to take
I ll give up that an
R os a an m e o u t there
to
j
ail
an
if
the
Lord
spare
s
my
lif
e
whe
n
o
;
g
I come o u t I ll pay it back principal an
~

int

re st

M olly gave o n e little moan and buried her

face in her hands Th e parson and Dilly rose
by one impulse and went forward to Elv i n who
tr e mbling from excite ment past
sa t upright
D illy reach e d him rst
She put both her
hands on his forehead and sm ooth ed ba c k his
hair
D ear heart she sai d
in a voice thrilled
,

AT

SU DLE I G H

FAIR

2 25

through by music
dear heart 1 I w as
abroad that night w at c hi n the stars an I se e it
all I se e ye d o it You don e it real clever an
I come nigh h ol l eri n o u t to ye I was so pleased
when I se e you was determined to save the live
stock An that barn cat dear that o l d black
Tom that s k e t c h e d my chickens so long you
most broke your neck to save him But I never
should ha told dear never ! sp ecially sence

you got ou t th e c re a t u r s
And in Christ shall all b e made alive
said th e parson wiping h i s eyes and then begin
n ing t o pat Elvin s ha n d with both hi s own
N ow what shall we d o ? What shall we do ?
Why not com e hom e wi th me and stay ove r
night ? My dear wife will be glad t o see y ou

A nd th e morning will bring counsel

Elvin had regaine d a ne fre edom o f carriage
and a decision of tone long lost to him
He
was dignied by the exal tation o f the moment

I ve got it all xed h e said like a m an

I thought it all ou t under that elm tre e to

d ay
You drive m e over t o Sheriff Holmes s
an he ll tell m e what s right to d o whether
I m to go to the insuranc e people or whether
I m to be clapped into j ail H e ll know I t s

o u t o my hands
I ll go an harness n ow
Parson True dre w Molly forward from her
corner and held her hand while he took Elvin s
a nd motioned Dilly to complete th e circle
,

'

M EAD OWGRASS

226

J e sus C hrist be with us

h e said sole mnly

God ou r Father help us to love o n e anoth er

m ore and more te n derly be c ause o f ou r sins !
While Elvin was harnessing a dark gure
cam e sw i ftly through the moonlight

Elvin
whispere d Molly sharply
O
Elvin I can t bear i t 1 You take what money
you ve go t an go as fur as y ou c a n
T hen
you work an I 11 work an we 11 pay em back
What good will it do for you to go t o j ail ? Oh
wha t good will it do

Poor little M olly ! said h e

You do
care about m e don t you ? I sha n t forget that

whereve r I am
M olly cam e forward and threw her a rms
about him passionately

Go ! go ! s h e whispered ercely
Go
I ll drive y ou s o m e e r s an bring the
n ow !

horse back D on t wait 1 I don t want a hat

Elvin smoothed he r hair

said he gravely
you ll se e it dif
No
The things o f this world
fe r en t come m orn i n
ain t everything
E ven freedom ain t every
thing
There s so m e t h i n b etter Good b y
Molly I don t know how long a sentence they
give 3 b ut wh en they let me o u t I shall come
an tell y o u what I think o f y o u for standin

by P arson True !
The parson came o u t a nd D illy followed
When the tw o men were seated in the wago n
,


W
M E AD O
GRASS

228

H e won t k n ow h ow but so it ll b e d ear s o it ll

be
Folks don t know why they re upli fted
som etimes when there ain t no cause 3 but 1
N ow you com e in
s a y i t s other fol k s s love
dear an we ll make the b ed it s all aired
complete an then we ll go to sleep an see
if we can t dream us a nice pleasant drea m
all about gree n gard in s an the folks we love

wal ki n i n t h e mids t of e m !

B A N K R U PT

I SS D ORCAS T RU E stood in her square

fro n t entry saying good b y t o P h oeb e

Marsh The entry w ould have been quite dark
from its time stained woodwork and green paper
except for the twilight glimm e r swaying and
cre eping through the door le ading into the
garden O u t there were the yellow o f core
o p s i s and the blue o f larkspur
melted into a
dim magnicence o f color suffusing all the air 3
to one who knew what common glory was
a blowing and a growing there wi t hout the bare
se clusion o f the house might well seem invaded
by it like a heavenly ood P h oebe too in her
pink calico appeared t o spread abroad the rich
ness o f her youth and bloom and radiate a
certain light about her where sh e stood She
was tall her proportions were ample and
her waist very trig S he had the shoulders
and arms o f the women o f an elder tim e whom
we classify vaguely now as goddesses T he
Tiverton voices argue d that s h e would have

been real handsom e if she d had any sense

about doin her hair ;

which was brought
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

230

dow n loosely ove r her ears in the fashion of

her Aunt Ph oebe s miniature
Miss Dorcas b e
side her looked like one o f autumn s brown
quiescent ste ms left standing by the way She
was rmly built yet all her lines subdue d them
selves t o that m eagreness which ever dwells
afar from be auty The deep marks of hard ex
r i e n c e had been graven o n her forehead and
e
p
her dark eye s burned inwardly 3 the tens e co n
spark o f pain and the glowing o f
c e n t r at e d
happy fervor seemed as foreign to the m as sh e
h erself to all the lighter j oys an d hopes
H er
only possibility o f beauty lay in an abundance
o f soft dark hair ; but even that had be en r e
s t ri c t e d and coiled into a compact
utilitarian
c ompass Sh e had laid o n e n ervous h and on
Ph oebe s arm and sh e grasped th e arm absently
from time t o time i n talking, with unconscious
j oy in its rounded warmth S he spoke cau
t i o u sl y so that her voice might n o t be heard
within

Then you com e o ver to morrow after th e

close o f service if it s conv e nient You can
slip right into the kitchen j ust as usual Any

news ?
Phoeb e too lowered her voice but the full
sweetness o f its quality thrilled o u t
Mary Frances Giles is going t o be m arried
next we ek I v e been d own to see her things

S h e s real pleased
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

232

preach
He seem ed like an unfortunate and
uncomplaining child and t he Village folk to ok
pride in him as som ething all th eir own ; a
prid e enhanced by his habit i n this weak
e state o f falling bac k into the homely ways o f
sp eech he had use d long ago when he was a

on th e farm
In his wife s day he had
b oy
s tood 1n the p u p i t above them and expounded
scriptural lore in academic English ; now he
lapsed into their ow n rude phrasing and se emed
t o rest co n tent in a tranquil certainty that noth
ing could be better than Tiverton ways and
T iverton s hom ely speech

D orcas h e re peated with all a child s d e

light in his ow n cleverness you ve had some

body here I heard ye 1
D orcas folde d the sheet b ac k o ver the quilt
and laid her hand on h i s hair with all th e ten
d erness o f th e strong whe n they let themselves
b rood over the weak

Only P h oebe o n her way home sh e an

The do c tor visite d her school
s w e r e d gently
to d ay She thinks he m ay drop in to s e e you

I guess he give her to understand s o

t o night
Th e m inister chu c kled

Ain t h e a smart o n e ?
he rej oine d

S mart as a trap ! Dorcas I a in t nished

my sermo n I guess I shall h a ve to preach an
Y ou lay m e ou t t h e on e on the salt
ol d o n e

l osi n it s savor an I 1] look it over

.

BAN KRU PT

233

Yes, father

The same dema n d and th e same answer

varied but slightly had bee n exchanged b e
twe en them every S aturday night for years
Dorcas replied now without thinking
Her
mind had spread its wings and own o u t into
the swe et stillness of the garde n and the world
beyond 3 it eve n hastened o n into the unknown
ways of guesswork se eking for o n e w h o should
b e coming She straine d her ears to hear the
beating o f hoofs and the rattle o f wheels across
the little bridge T he dusk sifted in about the
house faster and faster ; a whippoorwill crie d
from th e woods So s h e sat until the twilight
had van ished and another o f the invisible

genii was at hand saying

I am Night
D orcas
called the parson again He had
bee n asle ep a n d se em ed now to be holding
himself ba c k from a broken dream
D orcas

has your mother c o me in yet ?

N o father

Well y ou wake me up when you se e her

down the road ; an then you go an carry her
a shawl I dunno what to make 0 that cough
His voice trailed sleepily o ff and D orcas rose
an d
tiptoed ou t o f the roo m She felt th e
blood in her face 3 her ears thrilled noisily
T he doctor s wagon had crossed the bridge 3
n ow it was whirling swiftly up the road
S he
stationed herself in the e ntry to lose no step
,

M EAD OWGRASS

2 34

his familiar progress The horse came lightly

along beating o u t a pleasant tune o f easy haste
He was drawn up at th e gate and the doctor
threw o u t his weight and j ump e d buoyantly to
the ground
There was the brief pause o f
re aching for his m edicine case and th e n with
that rm step whose rhythm s h e kn e w s o well
h e was walking up the path Involuntarily a s
Dorcas awaited him sh e put her h and to her
heart with one o f those ge stur e s that se e m so
melodramatic and are s o real ; s h e owned to
h erself with a thro b 0 f appreciative d e light
h o w the sick must warm at his coming
This
new doctor o f Tiverton was no younger than
D orcas herself ye t with his erect c arriage and
merry blu e eye she se emed to be not only o f
another te mperament but another time
It
had never struck him that th e y were contem
Once h e had told Ph oebe in a burst
p o ra r i es
o f a ffection and pitying praise that h e should
hav e like d Miss D orcas for a maiden aunt

Good evening he said heartily one foot

o n the sill
How s the patient ?
At actual sight o f him her tremor vanished
and she answered very qui e tly

Father s asleep
I thought you wouldn t

want h e should be disturbed 3 s o I cam e o u t

T he doctor took o ff his hat and pushed back
h i s thick unruly hair

Y es that was right he said absently and

in

M E AD O WGRASS

6
3

hour ago P h oebe s a real comfort t o m e

S h e was seated on the step abov e him and it
seemed very pleasant to her to hear his voice
without encountering al s o the challenge o f his
eyes

No is s h e though ?
The doctor suddenly
faced round upo n her
Tell m e about it
Then qu ite to her surprise D orcas found
herself talking under the spell o f an interest so
eage r that it bore her on entirely without her
o w n guidance
Well y ou s e e there 8 a good many things I
keep from father H e n ever 5 been himself
sinc e mother died
She w a s the mainstay
here But he thinks the church prospers j ust
the same and I never v e told him the attend
ance dropped off whe n they put up that Pis
copal building over t o S u d l e igh
You ain t
live d here long enough to hear much about
that but it s b een a real trial t o h im The
summer boarders built it and some rich body
keeps it u p ; and ou r folks think it s co mplete
to go over there and worship and get up and

down and s ay their prayers o u t loud

Th e doctor laughed out

Yo u know
I v e he ard about it said h e
what Brad F reema n told U ncle Eli P ike when
they went in t o se e how the service was man
a ged ?
Somebody found the places in the
prayer b ook for them and Brad was quick

BAN KRU PT

37

witted and got on very well 3 but Eli kept drop

ping behi n d Brad nudg e d him
Read ! he
said o u t loud
Read like th e devil ! I ve
heard that story on an average o f twic e a day
since I came to T iverton I m not tired o f it
yet
Mi ss D orcas t oo had heard it and shrunk
from its undisguised profanity N ow she laughed
responsively

I gue ss they do have queer ways

sh e

owne d
Well I neve r le t father know any of
He d be terrible tried
our folks go over there
And I v e made it my part in our meeting to keep
up the young folks inter e st as much as I can
I ve been careful never to miss my Sunday
school class They re all girls nic e as new
pins every on e o f em ! P h oebe was in it till
a little while ago but now she comes here and
sits in the kitchen while I m gone
I d on t
wan t father to know that for I hope it neve r 11
c ome into his head h e s so helpless ; but I
should be worrie d t o death to have him left
alone S o P h oebe sits there with her book
ready to spring if S h e should hea r anything o u t

0 the way
The doctor had lapsed into his abse n t mood
but now he ro u sed himself with sudden interest

That s very good of her is n t it ? h e said

You trust her d on t y o u ?

Trust Ph oeb e ! Well I guess I do 1 I ve
,

,
.


M EAD O W GRASS

238

known her ever since she went to Num b er Five

and n o w sh e s keeping the school herself S he S
a real noble girl

Tell m e more ! said the doctor warmly

I want to hear it all You r e s o new to m e

h e re in Tiverton
I want to get acquaint e d
Miss D orcas suddenly felt as if sh e had been
talking a gre at deal and an overwhelming sh y
n ess fell upon her

There isn t much to tell

s h e hesitated

I don t know 5 anything d happened to m e

for ye ars till father had his ill turn in the
spring and we called y ou in H e don t seem
to realize his sick n ess was anything much I ve
told the neighbors n o t to dwell o n it when
they re with him Ph oebe won t ; she s got

so me se n se

Has she ? said the doctor still eagerly

I m glad o f that for your sake 1
H e rose
t o go but stood a moment near the steps dally
ing with a re achi n g branch o f j essamine ; it
see m ed p e rsuading him to stay H e had a l
ways a cheery manner but to night it was
brightened by a dash o f som ething warm and
reckless
He had the air o f one awaiting good
n ews in c on denc e o f i t s coming D orcas was
alive to the rapt contagion and he r o wn blood
thrilled She felt young

1
Well
said h e
well Miss D orcas !

H e to o k a step and then turned back

Well
,

M EAD OWGRASS

2 49

had and be auty of which h e had little o r

much according as o n e chose t o think well of
him To her aching s en s e he was a very per
fe c t creature gifted with in n ite capacitie s fo r
help an d comfort
But the footfalls c e a sed and the garden dark
en e d by delicate yet swift degre es 3 a cloud had
gone over the moon e ecy silver edged but
still a cloud The waning o f the light se emed
t o her signi cant 3 she feared lest some bitter
change might befall the moment and went in
bolting the door behind he r Once w ithin
h er o w n little bedroom S he loosened her hair
an d moved about aimle ssly for a time careless
o f sle ep because it see m ed so far T hen a su d
d en resolve ne rved her and s h e stole back
again t o the front door and opened it The
night was blossoming there glowing now abun
dant It was so rich so full ! The moonlight
here and star upon star above hidden not by
clouds but by the light ! N ee d S he waste this
She
o n e night ou t o f all her unregard ed life ?
s tepped forth among the o w e r be ds stooping
in a passionate fervor to the blossoms s h e could
reach 3 but coming back t o the southernwood
she took it in he r arms S he laid her fa c e
upon it and crushed the soft leaves against
her che eks It made all the world smel l o f its
T he fragrance and beauty
o w n balm and dew
o f the time passed into her soul , and awa k ened
,

BAN KRU FT

24 1

corners there all unused to such sweet incense

S he was drunken with the wine that is not of
grap es She could not have found words for
the passion that possessed her though s h e
hugge d it to her heart like another self ; but
it was elemental springing fro m founts deeper
than those o f life and death God made it
and like all His making it was d ivine She sa t
there the southernwood still gathered into her
arms and at last emotion stilled itself and
passed into thought 3 a wild temptation rose
and with its rst whisper drove a hot ush into
her che e ks and brande d it there
Love ! she
had never named the name in its rst natal si g
n i c an c e
S he had scarcely read it 3 for romance
even in books had passed he r by But love 1
s h e knew it as the insect knows h o w to spread
his new sun dried wings in the air for which he
was create Sitting there in a happy dr owse
she thought it all o ut S he was old plain u n
sought 3 the man she exalte d was the ower of
his kind He would never look on her as if
s h e might touch the hem o f wifehood s mantle 3
so there would be no shame in choosing him
Just to herself she might name the Great
N ame H e would not know Only her ow n soul
would know and G o d who gave it and sent it
forth tte d with delicate reaching tentacle s t o
touch the rock se t there to wound them She
bega n t o fe el blindly that God was not alone
.

16

M EAD OW
GRASS

242

the ke eper of eternal Sabbaths but the ge rm i

nant h e at at the heart o f the world
If sh e
were a young girl l ike Ph oebe there would be
sham e Ev e n a thought of him would be a
stretching forth h er hand to touch him say

ing Look at me ! I am here 1 but for her

it was quite diffe rent I t would be like a dream
some grandmother dream ed in th e sun o f rosy
yo u th and the things that never cam e to pass
No on e would b e harmed and the sle eper
would hav e garnered one hour s j oy before
she took up h e r march again on the l on e s o m e st
road o f all
so lonesome although it leads us
home ! Thus s h e thought half sleeping until
the night dews clung in drops upon her hair ;
then s h e went in to bed still wrapped about
with the drapery o f h er dreams
,

N ext morning when Dorcas carrie d in he r

father s breakfast sh e walked with a springing
,

step and spoke in a voice so full and fre sh it

mad e her newl y glad
It s a nice day father ! There 11 be lots of

folks out to mee ting

That s a goo d girl
This was his com
m en d a t i o n from hour to hour ; it m ade up the
litany o f his gratitude for what sh e had be en t o
him
But I dunno s I fe el quite up to preach
in to day Dorcas
We ll get
T hat 11 be all right father
,

so m e b o d


M EAD OW GRASS

2 44

rou n d
a dark squat w o man broad all over ;
broad in the hips the waist the face and
stamp ed with the rac e mark o f high cheek
b o n e s Her thick straight black hair was c u t

tin basin style 3 s h e wore men s boots and

her p e ttico ats were nearly up to her kn e e s

Good morning N ancy ! called Dorcas

blithely wringing o u t her dishcloth

Come

right in and si t down

Na n c e P ete !in other words Nancy the wife
o f P ete whose surname was unknown ) clumped
into the room and took a chair by the h earth
She drew forth a short black pipe looked int o
it discontente dly and then sat putting her
thumb in and o u t o f the bowl
You ain t got a mite o t e rb a ck er about ye ?

H ey what ? sh e asked
D orcas had many a time be en shocked at the
same demand This morning something humor
o us about it struck her and s h e lau ghed

You know I have n t N ancy Pete ! D id

a s I told
m
e
nd
that
hole
in
y
our
skirt
ou
y

you ?
N an c e lab oriously drew a back b rea d th of h er
coarse plaid skirt round t o the front and dis
played i t without a word
A thre e cornered
tear of the kind known as a barn door had been
tre ated by tying a white string w e ll outside i t
and gathering up the cloth like a bag Dor ca s s
sense o f tness forb a de her to s e e anything
,

BAN KRU FT

24

humorous in so original a d evice She stood

before the woman in all the moral excellence o f
a censor fastidiously clad

O Nancy P et e ! sh e e xclaimed
H ow

could you ?
N ance put her cold pipe in her mout h and
be gan sucking at the unresponsive stem
You ain t got a bite o f anything t eat h ave

ye ? she asked indifferently

Dorcas went to the pantry and brought forth
pie doughnuts and che ese and a dish o f cold
beans
T he coffee pot w a s waiting on th e
stove
O ne would have said the visitor had
been expecte d N ance rose and tramped over
to the table But Dorcas stood rmly in th e
way
N 0 Nancy no
You wait a minute 1 Are
u
going
to
me
eting
day
o
t
o
?
y
I ain t had a m eal 0 victuals for a week
remarked N ance addre ssing no o n e in particular

N ancy are you going to meeting ?

Whose seat b e I goin to set in ? inquired

N ance rebelliou sly yet with a certain air of
capitulation

You can sit in mine

Haven t you s at
there for the last ve y ears ?
N ow N anc y

don t hinder me !
Plague take it then
I 11 go
At t his expected climax Dorcas stood asid e
and allowed her visitor to se rve herself with
.

M EAD OWGRASS

2 46

be ans
When N anc e s rst hunger had been
satis ed sh e began a rambling monologue o f a n
accustomed sort to which D orcas never listened

I went down to p eek into the P oorhouse

winders this m o rn i n
There they all sut like
rats in a trap
Got ye ain t they ? says I
Old Sal Flint s h e looked up an if there d been
a b utcher knife handy I gue ss sh e d ha throwed
it
It s that Inj un ! says sh e to Mis G i l es
D on t you take no notice
I dunno s I m
an I nj un says I I dunno h ow much Inj un I
be I can t look so fur back as th a t I dunno s
there s any more Inj un in m e than there is
devil in you ! I says An then the overseer
h e com e ou t an d riv m e off
You won t git
m e in there says I t o him not so long s I ve
got my teeth to c haw sassafras an my claws to
1
But when I
dig m e a holler in the ground
com e along he passed me on the road an old
Sal Flint sut up by him on the seat like a bu mp
I guess h e was c a rry in her over to
on a l og
that Pop e o Rome m e e t i n they ve got over to

S u d l e i gh

D orcas turne d about in anxious intere st

O h I wonder if he was !
H o w ca n folks

give up their o w n m eeting for that ?

N ance pushed her chair back from the table
Want to see all kinds I s pos e she said

slyly
Guess I 11 try it myself a nother

S unday !
.

M EAD OWGRASS

248

Th e coin and pennyroyal changed ownership

and h e tottered away chattering to himself in
his senile fashion

Look here you !

h e shouted back his

hand on the gate

H e e rd anything 0 that
new doctor round h ere ?
W e ll he s been
a pokin into my ears a n I guess he d ha cured
m e if anybo d y could You know I don t hear
s o well 5 I used to
He went a p ee k in an
a p ry i n round my e ars as if he d found a hornet s
n est I dunno what he se e there 3 I know h e
shook his head
I guess we shouldn t ha got
no such a man to settle down h ere if h e wa n t
so a s t h m y he couldn t git along where he was
That s th e reason he com e they say He s a
bright one
Dorcas left her sweeping and ran ou t after
him F o r the mom ent S h e forgot h i s hopeless
durance in e sh l y w alls

Did he look at
em ?
she cried
Did
1
h e ? Tell m e what h e said
Why
o f course I don t hear n o bette r yit
answered o l d Simeon testily turni n g to stump

1
He 5 a
away but that ain t no S ign I sha n t
b eau ty 1 I s e t up now when h e go es by s o 8 I
I put a quilt
c a n hear him when he rides back
down in th e fore yard an when th e ground
trimble s a mite I git up to se e if it s his hoss
Once I laid there till leven H e s a beauty
he is
,

BAN KRU PT

249

He went quavering down the road and

Dorcas ran back to the house elated afresh
An unregarded old man could give him the
poor treasure of his affe ction quite unasked
Why should n o t she ?
N ance was j ust taking her unceremonious
leave
Her pockets bulged with doughnuts
and she had wrapped half a pie in the S u d l e igh

Star surreptitiously l c h e d from the wood

box

Well I guess I l l be gittin al o ng towards

s h e said in a tone o f unconcern cal

I m in hopes to
c u l a t e d to allay suspicion
git a mite 0 t erb ac k e r o u t o Hiram Cole if
he s settin lookin at his pigs where he i s
most every S unda y I ll have a smoke afore I

go in

1
Don t you be late
I m a goin
in late or n ot at all ' an
My b u n n i t ain t
s w e re d N ance contradictorily
trimmed on the congregation side an I want
I m
t o give em a chance t o se e it all round

up the aisle complete !

a goin
D orcas nished her work and having tidied
her father s room sat down by his bedside for
the simple rites that made their Sabbath holy
With the rst clanging stroke o f the o l d be l l
not half a mile away th ey fe ll into silence wait
ing reverently through the nec e ssary pause for
allowing the congregation to become seated
,

M E AD O W
GR A SS

T hen they went through the service to g ether

from hymn and pray e r to the sermon
Th e
,

parson had his manuscript ready and he began

reading it in the pulpit voice o f his prime At
that moment some o f his ol d vigor cam e back
to him and he uttere d the conventional phrases
o f his church with conscious power 3 tho u gh s o
little a man he had always a sonorous delivery
After a page or two h i s hands bega n t o tremble
and his voice s an k

Y ou read a sp ell D orcas h e w h ispered in

pathetic apology
I ll rest m e a minute
S o Dorcas re ad and he listened
Pre sently
h e fell asle ep and she still went o n speaking
the words m echanically and busy with her
own tumultuous thoughts
Amaze ment pos
sessed her that the world could be s o full o f j oy
to which s h e had long been deaf She could
hear th e oriole singing in the elm 3 his song was
almost articulate T he trees wav e d a little in
a friendly fashion through the op en windows 3
friendly in the unspoken kinship o f gre e n things
t o o u r thought yet remote in their own s e c l u
sion
One tall delicate locust gowned in
summ er s nest gear stirred idly at the top as
if through an inward motion untroubled by the
wind Do r c a s s mind sought o u t the doctor
listening t o the sermon in her bare little church
and she felt quite content
She had enter e d
the rst cou r t o f love wher e a spiritual pos
,

M EAD OWGRASS

25 2

I can si t down her e o n the step Your fathe r

ne edn t know I am here any mor e than usual
I told th e doctor not to talk coming up th e

walk
T he doctor smiled at her Ph oebe looked
like a rose in he r S unday white and the elder
woman fe lt a sudden j oy in her untouched by
envy o f her youth and bloom Ph oebe only
se emed a part o f the beautiful new laws to
whic h the world was fre shly tuned
D orcas
coveted nothing ; S he e nvied nobody She her
self posse ssed all i n usurping her on e rich
k ingdom

All right sh e said

T he doctor can step
in n ow and s e e fathe r I l l hurry back as soon

a s Sund ay school is over

S he walked a way
glancing happily at the owers o n eithe r side o f
the gard en path
She wanted to touch all their
leave s because last night h e had praised them
Returning when her hour was ov e r S h e
w alked very fast 3 her heart was waking into
hunger and she feared he might be gone But
he was there sitting on the steps besid e Phoebe
and when the gate swung open they did not
hear Phoebe s eyes were dropped and sh e
was poking her parasol i n to the m oss
e ncrusted
path 3 the doctor was looki n g into h er face and
sp e aking quite eagerly He h e ard D orcas rst
and sprang up His eyes w e re so bright and
forceful in the momentary gle am o f me e ting
.

B A N KR U PT

53

hers that sh e looked aside and tried to rule

her quickening breath

Miss Dorcas
said h e
I m t e lling this
young lady sh e mustn t forget to eat he r dinner
at school I nd s h e quite ignore s it if sh e
has sums to do o r blots to erase Why i t s
shocking

O f course S he m ust eat he r dinner

said

D orcas tenderly
Wh y yes o f course 1

Phoebe do as he tells you H e knows

P h oebe blushed vividly

D oes he ? sh e answered laughing

Well
I ll see Good b y Miss Dorcas
I ll come
in for Friday night meetin g if I don t before
Good b y

I l l walk along with y ou said th e doctor

I f you 11 let m e he added humbly

P h oebe turned away with a little toss o f h er
h ead and h e turned t o o breaking a sprig o f
southernwood
D orcas was glad to treasure the
last sight o f him putting to his lips the fragrant
h erb sh e had bruise d for his sake
It se emed
to carry over into daylight the j o y of the ri cher
night 3 it was like see i ng th e silken thread o n
w h ich her pearls were strun g S he called t o
them impetuously
P ick all the owers yo u want to both of

you !
The n sh e went in but sh e said aloud

to herself They re all for you

and sh e
w hispered his name
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

254

D orcas
said her father
th e doctor s
b een here q uite a spell He says there was a
rea l full m e e ti n
Even N ancy P ete D orcas !
I feel as if my ministration had been abun

d an t l y blessed
Then in that strangest summ er in B or e as s
life time see med to stand still T he happiest
of all experiences had befallen h er 3 not a su c
c ession o f j oys b ut a permanent d elight in on e
unchanging mood The e v ening o f his coming
had be en the rst day ; and the evening and
the m orning had ever since be en the same in
glory H e c a m e often sometimes with Phoeb e
s o metimes alone 3 and be ing o n e o f the m en
D orcas soon
o n whom women e sp ecially lean
found herself telling him all the poor trials o f
her colorless life
N othing was to o small for
his notic e
H e liked h er homely talk o f the
garden and the church and once gave up an
hour to spading a plot where she wanted a new
round bed
Dorcas had m eant t o put l i lies
there but sh e remembered h e love d ladies
delights 3 s o sh e gathered them all togethe r from
the nooks and corners o f the garden and s e t
them there a swe et ol d
fashioned company
That
Sh e took to wearing
s for thoughts !
owers now not for the delight o f him w h o
loved them but m erely as a part o f her secret
litany o f worship S he slept d eeply at n ight
and woke with cal m content to sp eak one nam e

M EAD OW GRASS

6
5

stopped at Kel up Rive rs o n the way over an

they gi n m e a good bre akfast an last week
that young do c tor gi n m e a whole paper 0 n e
cut I ain t a goin to m e et i n
I m goin to
se
down u n der the o l d elm an have a real

g o od smoke

O N ancy !
D o rcas had no dreams so
happy that such an avalanche could not sweep
the m aside
N o w do
Why you don t
w a nt me t o think you go to church j ust because
I save you some bre akfast
N an c e turned away and put up her chin t o
watch a wreath of smok e

I dunno why I don t

said sh e
The
world s nothin but buy an sell Yo u know it
an I know it 1 Tain t no use c ov e r in o n t up
You h e e rd th e news ? T hat old fool of a Sim
Barker s dead The doctor sut up all night
with h i m an I guess now he s layin on him
I wouldn t ha done it
I d ha w ro p p ed
ou t
him up in his ol d coat an glad to git rid on
him ! Well he won t cheat ye ou t 0 no more
You
ve cent piece s to squand er in t e rb a c k e r
might save em up fo r m e now he s done for
N ance went stalking away to the gate aun t i n g
a Visible air o f ne fre e enj oyment the product
tobacco and a bright morning
D orcas
of
watched her annoyed a n d yet quite h elpless ;
she was outwitted and she knew it Per h aps
s h e sorrowe d less deeply over the loss t o h e r

BAN KRU PT

57

pensioner s I mmortal soul th u s taki n g holi

day from spiritual discipl i ne than the serious
problem involved in subtracting o n e fro m t h e
congregation
Would a Sunday school picnic
constitut e a bribe worth mentioning ? P erhaps
not so far as N an c e was concerned 3 but her
o w n class might
like it and o n that young
blood sh e dep ended to vivify the church
A bit o f pink came ashing along the country
road It w a s Ph oebe walking very fast
D ear heart
said Dorcas aloud to herself
a s the girl came hurriedly u p the path
Sh e
was no longe r a pretty girl a nice girl as t h e
commendation went Her face had gained an
exalted lift ; sh e w a s b eautiful S he took Miss
D orcas by the arms and laughed the laugh that
knows itself in the right and s o will not be shy

Miss D orcas sh e said

I ve got t o t e ll
you right ou t or I can t do it at all What
should you say if I told y ou I w a s married ?
to the doctor ?
Dorcas looked at her a s if she did n o t hear

It s begun to ge t round went on Ph oebe

and I wanted to give you the word myself

You se e auntie w a s sick and when he w a s
there so much sh e grew t o depend on him
and on e day w h en we d been engaged a week
s h e sa id why shouldn t we be married and h e
co me right to the house to live ? He s only
boarding y ou know And nothing to do but it

M EAD OW GRASS

8
5

must be done right off and s o I

I said y e s
And we we re married Thursday Auntie 8 bet
ter and O Miss D orcas ! I think we re going

to have a re al good tim e togethe r

She threw
her arms about D orcas and put down her shin
ing brown head upon them
D orcas tried t o answer When sh e did sp eak
her voice sounde d thin and faint and sh e won
dered confusedly if Ph oebe c ould hear
I didn t k n ow
I didn t
s h e said
know
Why, n o o f course not
returned Ph oebe
bri g htly
N obody did
You d have be en
the rst but I didn t want the engage m e n t
talked about till a u ntie was better O h I b e
lieve that 5 hi s horse s step
I 11 run o u t and
ride hom e with him Y ou come too Miss

Dor ca s and j ust say a word !

D orcas loosened the girl s arms a b out he r
and bending t o the bright head kisse d it twic e
Ph oebe grown carele ss in he r j oy ran down the
walk to stop th e approaching wago n 3 and when
she looke d round D orcas h ad shut th e door
and gon e in She waited a m om ent fo r h er t o
reappear and then re m embe ring the doctor
had had n o breakfast sh e steppe d into the
wagon and th ey drove happily away
Dorcas we n t t o her b edroom touching th e
walls o n the way with her gropi n g hands She
and r ested her
s a t down o n the oor th ere

M EAD OWGRASS

2 60

D e acon C ale b Rivers c ame j og g ing past lat e for

church but driving n one the less moderately
His placid faced wife s a t besid e him 3 and Dor
c as stepping ou t to stop the m wondered with
a w ild pang o f perplexity over the things o f
this world if Mandy R ivers had ever known the
feeling o f death in the sou l C aleb pulled up

I c an t c om e t o Sunday school to day

calle d D orcas stridently

Y ou tell them to
giv e P h oebe my class And a sk her if she ll

k ee p it I sha n t te a c h any more

Ain t your father s o well ?

asked Mrs
Rivers sympathetically b ending forward and
s mo othing h er mitts
D orcas c aught at th e
reason

I sha n t leave him any more

sh e said

Yo u t e ll em so
Yo u x it
C aleb drove o n and sh e went back into the
hou se shrinking under the brightness o f the air
which seeme d to quiver so before h er eyes
S he went into h er father s room w here he was
awake and wondering
S eems to m e I heard the bells he said in

his gentle fashion

Or have we had the

hymns an got t o the sermon ?

D orcas fell on her k n ee s by the bedside

Father she began with di fculty her cheek

laid o n the be dclothes be side his hand there

was a sermon about women that are lost What

was that ?
,

BAN KR U PT

261

Why y e s answered the parson rousing to

an active j oy in h i s work
N either do I
condemn th e e !
That was it
You git it
Dorcas 1 We must r e member such poor crea
ain t
t u r s ; though Lord be praised ! there
many round here We must remember an pray

for em
But D orcas did n o t rise

Is there any hope for them father ? s h e

asked he r voic e mu f ed
C an they b e

s ave d ?
Why don t you remember the poo r c re atur
that c om e here an asked that very question
because she heard I said the Lord was pitiful ?
Her baby was born out in the m e d d er an die d
the next day ; an s h e got up out o f h e r sick
be d at the Poorhouse an come t ot t e r i n up
here to ask if there was any use in her sayin

L ord be m erciful to m e a sinn e r ! An your

mothe r took her in an laid her down on this
very bed an s h e died here An your mothe r
h il her in h e r arms when s h e died
You ask

her if s h e didn t !
The e ff ort of continuous
talking wearie d him and presently he do z ed o ff
O nce he woke and D orcas was still on her

knee s her head abased

Dorcas ! he said
and sh e answered Y es father 1 withou t rais
ing it 3 and he slept again Th e bell struck for
the end of service
The parson was awake
H e stret c hed ou t his hand and it trembled
,

M EAD O W
GRASS

2 62

mom ent and then fell on his daughter s lowly

head

The grac e o f ou r Lord J esus Christ

the parson said and went clearly on to the
solemn close

Fathe r
said D orcas
Father !
She

seemed t o be crying to One afar

Say the

o ther verse too What H e told the woman

His hand still on h er head t h e parson r e
e
a
t
e
d
with
a
wistful
te
n
derne
ss
stretching
back
p
over the past

N eithe r do I c ondemn thee 3 go and S in

n o mo r e

M E AD O W
GRASS

2 64

Hiram helped m e into the pung took his plac e

beside m e and threw a conversational huddup
to th e rakish looking sorrel colt
We dashed
sluing away down the country road and then I
turned t o look at my old friend H e was stead
fastly gazing at the landscape ahead the while
he passed o n e wiry hand over h i s face to
smooth o u t its broadening smile H e was glad
but his private cod e of decorum
t o s ee m e
forbade the betrayal o f any suc h
s h a l l er
emotion

Well Hiram
I began
Tiverton loo k s
exactly the same doesn t it ? An d poor N anc y

h ow is s h e ?

Nancy s pretty l ow said Hiram drawing

his mitten over the hand that had be en used t o
iron ou t his smile a nd giving critical attention
S he hil her o w n all
t o the colt s o ff hind leg
winter but now come spring she s b reakin up
mighty fast
They don t cal late she ll li v e

m ore n a day o r t w o
H er poor h u sband
H o w will h e get along
without he r
Hiram turned upon me with vehem ence

Why don t y ou know ?

said he
Ain t

no body told ye ? She ain t got no hu sband

What ? I s the C ap n dead ?

D ead ?
B less ye he s divorced fro m
N ancy an m arr i ed another woman t w o ye ar

ago c o m e this Ma y !
,

N A N C Y BOYD S L A ST S ER M O N

2 65

I w a s ama z ed and Hiram looke d at me with

the undisguised triumph of o n e who h as news t o
sell be it good o r bad

But Nancy has written m e

I said
Sh e
told m e the neighborho o d gossip ; why didn t

s h e tell me that ?

Yo u
Pride I s pose pride sa id Hiram
ca n t be sure h ow misery l l strike folks I t s
like a S eptember gale 3 the best 0 barns l l blow
down an some rickety shanty l l sta n the
strain But there ! N ancy s had more t o bear
from the way she took her troubles than from
the troubl e s themsel v es
Y e se e twas this
way C ap n J im had his ow n reasons for w a n t in
t o git rid o f her an I guess there was a tim e
when h e treat e d her pretty bad I gue ss he as
good s turn e d he r ou t 0 house an home an
when he sued for divorce for d esertion sh e
never said a word 3 an he got it an up an
married as soo n as the law d allow
N ancy
n e ver opene d he r head all through it She j est
settled down with a bed an a chair or t w o in
that littl e house S h e owne d down by Wille r
Brook an took in t ail o ri n an m en d in
One
spell she bound shoes The whole town was
with her till sh e begun carr yi n o n like a craze d

c re a t ur
as s h e did a r t e rw ar d s
My heart sank P oor Nancy ! if sh e had
really incurre d the public scorn it must have
bee n through dire extremity
,

M EAD O WGRA SS

2 66

Hiram continue d
folks wer e
You
sort 0 trie d with he r from the b e gi n n i n
k now what a good out t sh e had fr o m her
mother s sid e
bureaus an b e d d i n an every
thing complete ? Well sh e left i t all right there
in th e house for Jim to u se an when he brought
his new woman home there the things se t j est
the same an h e n ever said a word
I don t
deny he ought to done different but then if
N an c y wouldn t lo o k ou t for her ow n interests
can
t
blam
e
him
s
o
much
n
ow
can
ye
u
?
o
y
But the capsheaf co me about a year ago when
N ancy had a smart little su m 0 money le ft
her
nigh onto a h u n d e r d dollars J im he d
got into d ebt an his oxen died an o n e thing
an another he was all wore out an had rheu
matic fever ; an if y o u l l b l i eve it Nancy sh e
went over an done the work an let his wife
nuss him
She wouldn t step foot into the
b edroom they said 3 s h e never s e e Jim once
b ut there she was slavin over the wash tub
and i r on i n board
an a s for that money I
guess it went fo r doctor s stuff an what all
for J im bought a new yoke of oxen in the

spring

But the m an ! the other wife ! how could

they ?
Oh J im s wife 5 a pretty tough hided crea
tur an as for him I al ays thought the way
N ancy b e haved took him kind 0 by surprise
Ye

se e,

M EAD OWGRASS

68

As t o the storm and shipwrec k o f her life I

le arned no particulars e ssentially new E vi
d e n t l y he r husband had suddenly run amuck
e ither fro m the monotony of his inla n d days
o r from the strange passio n he had conceived
for a wo man who was Nancy s opposite
That night I s at in the poor bare little
room be side the billowing feathe r bed where
N ancy lay propped upon pillows and gazing
with bright glad eyes into my face on e thin
little hand clutching mine with the grasp o f a
soul who holds desperately to li fe And yet
N ancy was not clinging t o life itself ; sh e only
s e e me d to be because s h e clung to love

I m proper glad t o se e ye s h e kept say

ing prope r glad

We were q uite a l one The re b u rne d
c heerily in the kitche n stove and a cheap
little clock ove r the mantel tickled u n m e rc i
fully fast 3 it seemed in haste for N ancy to be
gone The curtains were drawn lest the thrifty
wi n dow plants should be frostbitten and s e ve ral
tumblers o f j elly on the o ilcloth covered table
bore witness that the neighbors had put asid e
their moral scrupl e s and their social d elicacy
albeit t o on e
an d were giving o f their be st
whose ways were not their ways But N ancy
herself was the c entre and light o f the room
so frail so clean with he r plain nightcap and
coarse white nightgown and the small ch e cked
,

N A N C Y B OYD S L A ST S ER M O N

26

S hawl folde d primly over her shoulders Thin

a s s h e was s h e looked scarcely older than when
I had seen her ve years before 3 yet since
then sh e had walked through a b lacker valley
than the on e before her

N ow don t y ou git all nerved up when I

cough sh e said lying back exhausted after a

paroxysm
I ve got used to it ; it do n t
trouble me n o more n a m o sq u i t e r I want t o
hav e a rea l good night n ow talkin over ol d

times

I said
The doc
You must try to sleep

to r will blame me if I let you talk

No he won t
said Nancy shrewdly

He knows I ain t got much tim e afore me

an I guess he wouldn t deny m e the good o n t
That s why I sent for ye dear ; I ain t had
anybody I could speak o u t to in v e year an
I wanted t o S peak out afore I died Do you
remember how you use d to com e o v er an eat
cold b iled dish for supper that last summe r

you w a s down here ?

Oh don t I N ancy ! there never was any
thing like i t Such cold potatoes

B iled in the pot liquor

s h e whispered a
knowing gleam in her blue eyes
That s the
way ; on y everybody don t know An do you
r emember the year we had greens way into the
fall an I wouldn t tell you what they was ?
Well I will now 3 there wa s chic kweed an
.

M EAD OWGRASS

79

pusley an mustard an Aaron s rod an I dunno

wh a t all
Not Aaron s rod Nan cy it n e v e r would

have been so good !

It s truth an fact ! I b iled Aaron s ro d

an yo u eat it That w a s the year Mis Bla i s
dell was mad because you had so many meals
over to my house an said it was the last time
she d take summer b oarders an have the neigh

bors feed e m
They were go o d o l d days Nancy !
I guess they wer e yes indee d I guess so 1
No w d e ar I s pose you ve h eard what I v e

be e n through sence y o u went away ?

I put the thin hand t o my c heek

Ye s
I said
I have heard

Well now I want t o tell y ou the way it

pears to m e You ll hear th e neighbors s i de
an arter I m gone they ll tell you I was under
witted or h o l d They ve be en proper good t o
m e sen c e I ve be en sick but law ! what do
they k n ow about it goin to bed at nine o clock
an gittin up to fe ed the chickens an ride to
m ee t i n with their husbands ? N o more n the
d ead ! An s o I want to tell ye my story m y
self N ow don t you mind my coughin de ar
I t do n t hurt to speak o f a n I feel better
a rter it

Well I dunno where to begin Th e long

an sh or t of it was dear Jam es he got kind 0
,

'

M E A D O W
GRASS

72

m e I w a s cut ou t for an ol d maid I says an

H ous ek e e p i n s a chore any
I gue ss I b e
way You let all the stuff se t right here j est as
we v e had it an ask C ap n Fuller to come an
bring his chist ; an I ll settle do w n in the
Willer B rook house an make button holes
I t s real pretty work
Yo u se e the reason I
w as s o high for it w a s t I knew if h e went t o
s e a h e d git in with a sw ear i n d rin k i n set a s
h e did afore an i n them days such c a rryi n s on
were d re t ful to me
If I d known he d marry
I dunno what course I should h a took ; for
n othin could ha m a de that seem right to me
arter all had com e and gone
But I j est
thought how Jame s was a d r e t ful handy m an
about th e hous e an I knew h e s et by C ap n
Fuller
Th e C ap n ain t no real home you
know an I thought they d admire to bach it

t o gether
D id you
ever wonder whether you had
done right ?
D id you ever t hink it would
have bee n better for him to keep his promises

For him t o be unhappy ?

t o y ou ?
A shad e o f trouble crossed her face

I gue s s I did ! S he owned

At fust I
was s o anxious to git ou t 0 his way I neve r
thought o f anything e l se 3 but when I got
settled dow n here an had all my tim e for
s p e c l a t i n o n things I was a good d eal put t o t
whethe r I d done the be st anybody could But

NAN CY BOY D S LAST SERMON

73

I didn t reason much in them days 3 I j est felt

All was I couldn t bear t o have James tied t o
m e when he d got s o 5 to hate me Well the n

h e married

Was sh e a good woman ?

Good enough y e s 3 a leetle mit e coarse

grained but well m eanin all through
Well
you know the neighbors blamed m e for
n ow
lettin her have my things Why bless you I
didn t need e m ! An Jim had used e m so
many years he d ha missed em if they d be e n
took away T h en he neve r was forehande d an
how could he ha furnished a ho u se all ove r
ag in I d like to know ? The neighbors n eve r
understood T h e amount o f it was they never

was put in j est such a place any o f em

O N ancy N ancy ! I said

you cared for
j ust one thing and it was gone You didn t
care for the t a ble s and chairs that were left
behind
Two tears cam e and dimm ed her b right b lu e
eyes H er rm d e licate mouth quivered

Y es s h e said
you se e h ow twas
I
knew you would Well art e r h e w a s married
there was a sp e ll when twas pretty tough
Sometime s I couldn t hardly h e lp goin over
there by night an p e e k i n into the winder an
se e i n
how they got along I went j est twice
Th e fust time was late in the fall an sh e w a s
I looked into the
p re serv i n p e a rs by lamplight
,

18

M E AD O WGRASS

74

kitchin winder j est as she was bendin o v e r

the stove t ry i n the syrup an he was b oldin
the light for her to see
I dunno w hat s h e
said but twas su t hin that m a de em both
laugh ou t an then they turned an looked at
one another prope r pleased
I dunno why
but it took right hold 0 m e an I started
ru n n i n
an I nev e r stopp ed till I got in here
an onto my own bed I thought twould ha
been m assi ful if death had took m e that night
but I m glad it didn t d ear I m glad it didn t
I shouldn t ha se e n ye if it had an there 5 a
go o d many things I shouldn t ha had time to
study o ut
You j est put a mite o cayenne
p epper in that cu p an turn some h ot water on

it I t kind 0 warms m e up
Afte r a moment s rest she began again

Th e next time I p e eked was th e last for

that night they d had som e words an they
both s e t up straight as a m ac k r el an wouldn t
speak t o o n e another T hat hurt me most o f
anything I never v e got over th e fe e l i n that
I was J ames s mother an that night I felt sort
bruised all through as if some stranger d
0
be en h u rt i n him So I never went spy i n o n
I felt as if I couldn t stan it
e m n o more
But when I went to help her with the work
that tim e he w as sick I guess th e neighbors
thought I hadn t any sense o f how a right fe e l i n
wo man ou g ht to act I guess they thought I

M EAD OW GRASS

76

an then it ll slip away from him an he 11 be

p oor Now a cc or d i n t o my lights it s j e s s o
with love There s j est so much an wh en it s
took away from y ou an passed over t o som e
body else it s alive i t s there sam e as ever it
was S o t y ou ain t goin t o s ay it s all holler
an empty this world You re goin t o say
Well it s som er s if tain t with m e
N ancy had straightened h erself without the
support o f h er pillows Her ey e s were bright
A faint ush had com e upon her cheeks A
doctor would have told m e that my devoted
friendship had not save d m e from being a
wretched nurse

My hom e w a s broke up sh e went on

b ut there 5 a nic e pretty hous e there j est the
same There s a contented couple livin in i t
an what if th e wife ain t me ? It ain t n o
matter P r a p s it s a l o t better that somebody
e lse should have it som e body that couldn t
git along alone an not m e that can se e the
rights 0 things J est s o m uch love dear
don t you fo rgi t that no matter where tis !
An J ames could take his love away from me
but the Lord A m i gh t y himself can t take mine
from him An s o tis the world over You
can al ays love folks an do for em even if
your doi n s only breakin your heart an givin
em up An do you s pose there 5 any sp ere
0 life where I sha n t be allowed to do som e

N A N C Y BOYD S LA ST S ER M O N

77

thin for J ames ? I guess not dear I guess no t

even if it 3 only keepin away from him

N ancy lived thre e days in a state o f delighted

content with us and our poor ministrations 3 and
only once did we approach the subj ect o f that
solemn night As the end drew near I became
more and more anxious to know if sh e had a
wish unfullle d and at length I ventured t o a sk
her softly whe n we were alone

Woul d you like to see him ?

Her bright eyes looked at m e in a start led
way

No dear no sh e said evidently surprised

that I c ould ask it
Bless you no
,

ST R O LLE R S IN T I V E R T O N

N Tiverton when reminisce n ces are in order

we go b ack to o n e very rich year ; then
the circus an d strolling players came to town
an d the usual camp m e eting was followed by an
epidemic o f scarlet fever whi c h might have
stood forth as the j udgment of heaven save
that the newly converted were stricken rst and
undoubtedly fare d hardest Hiram Cole said
it was because they d got all their nerve j uice

used up h ol l e ri n hall e luj ah

But that I
know not This theory o f n erve j uic e was a
favorite one with Hiram ! he contended that it
had a powerful hand i n determining th e results
of pre sid ential elections ; and indeed in sway
ing the balance o f power among th e nations o f
the earth
E ven in the early spring there had be e n
s everal
cases o f fever at S u d l e i gh ; and s o
when the circus m ad e application for a license
t o take p ossession o f the town according t o
olden custom th e public authoriti e s v e ry wisely
refused Tiverton however was wroth a t this
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

28o

I n spite o f the loss o f this potential crop h ow

ever B rad was magnanimously willing to let his
eld 3 and Tiverton held her h ead high in the
prospe c t o f having a circus of her own We
intimated that it would undoubtedly be fair
we ather owing t o our superior moral d esert a s
c ompared with that o f S u d l e igh which w a s
annually a ficted with what had long bee n

F or S u d l e igh had
known as circus weather
sinned and N ature was thenceforth d eputed t o
p ay her back in good ol d Hebrew style
One
circus day
before the war as I b elieve
S u d l e i gh fenced up the spring in a corner o f
her grounds and with a foolish thrift sold ice
water to the crowd at a pe nny a glass Tiver
t on was furious and s o a pparently were the
j ust heavens 3 for every circus day thereafter
it raine d in a fashion calculated to urge any
forehanded N oah into imme diate action We
of Tiverton never allowed ou r neighbor to
forget her criminal lapse When on circus
afternoon we me t o n e of th e rival township
dripping as ourselves we said with all the
c he erfulness o f conscious innocence

Wate r eno ugh for everybody to day !

Guess ye won t have to pe ddle none o u t 1
See ms to
be comin down pretty fast !
You better build a p l a t fo a m over that spring !
G o hard with ye if t ov er ow e d
S trange to s ay S u d l e igh se emed t o regard
,

STRO LL ERS I N T I VE RT O N

28 1

th e s e time licensed remarks with little favor ;

s h e even intimated that th e y smacked of the
past and were wearisom e in her nostrils But
n o t for that did we halt in their distribution
Moreover we aun t e d our domestic loyalty by
p a rtaking of no S u d l e i gh uid within the
grounds We carried tea coffee lemonade
milk an ambitious v ariety of drinks in order
that even ou r children might be spared the
public disgrac e o f tasting S u d l e igh water 3 and
it was a part of ou r excellent fooling to invite
every S u d l eighi an to drink with us E ven the
vi rtues however spare their votaries n o pang 3
and in every family this unb e nding fealty r e
in the ind i vidual me mbers b e t a k l n g
s ul t e d
themselves t o the pump or well immediately
on g e tting home even before attempting to
unharne ss A bout ve o clock on circus after
noon there would be a general rumbling of
buckets and creaking of swe eps while a chorus
ro s e to heaven My I was most choked
But our f ete day dawned bright and speck
less We rose before thre e o clock every man
wom a n and child of us to se e the proc e ssion
come into town It would leave the railway at
S u d l e i gh and we had a faint hope o f its form
ing in regulation style and sweeping into
Tiverton a blaze o f glittering chariots sur
mounted by q ueen s o f b eauty of lazy beasts
o f the d ese rt sulking in t h eir cages an d dainty
-

M EAD O WGRASS

82

stepping horses ridden by b old amazons F or

a tim e the expectation kept us bright and
hope ful although most o f us had only take n a

cold bite before starting ; but as the eastern

saffron p encill e d o n e line o f light and the bird
chorus swelle d in piercing glory we g r ew cross
and all u n b e tt i n g the smiling morn
Only
Dilly Joyce looked sunshiny as e v er for s h e
had n o domestic cares to becko n her ; sh e and
N ance P e te w h o w a s in luck that day having
a full pipe
D illy had ne stled into a rock
c u rved in the form of a chair and lay watching
the e astern sk y a faint smile o f pleasure part
ing her lips when the saffron hardened int o
g old

Nice d ear ain t it ? sh e said as I paused

a moment near h e r
I al ays liked th e side
But it s kind 0 d i st urb i n to hav e
0 the road
s o much talk
I dunno 5 y ou c a n h e lp it
th o ugh where there s s o many p eopl e
Most

o the time I m better o n t to home but I did

w a nt t o see an elephant near to
Th e s k y broadened into light and the birds
e
e
red
at
us
poor
draggled
folk
who
liv
e
d
in
j
boxe s and were embar r asse d by the morn
T h e men grew nervous for milking time w a s
n ear and in imagination I have no doubt the y
h eard the lowing o f reproachful kine

Well tain t no u se said Eli P ike rising

from the stone wall and stretching himself with
,

M EAD O W GRASS

2 84

ened at sound o f a bird hitherto silent I tried

t o s e t down his notes in my m e mory 3 and whe n
s h e close d her eyes
and shut o u t the world t o
think it over I did the sam e But the result
w a s different
Probably D illy opened hers
again upon the lovely earth but I drifted o ff
into dreamland and only awoke t w o hours
after to nd th e sc enes marv e llously ch anged
It wa s bright steady morning the morning
c om e t o stay
Tiverton had p erformed its
dairy rites and returned again enlivened by a
cup o f t e a 3 and o h incredible j oy ! there was
a grunting and panting a swaying o f mighty
anks
The circu s was approaching from
Instantly I was alert and on my
S u d l e i gh way
feet fo r it would have be en impossible to miss
the contagion o f the general j o y I kne w h o w
we felt not as individuals b ut as Tiv e r t on i a n s
a lon e We were tolerant po t entates waiting
in gracious maj esty to rec eive a d eputatio n
from the farther East I t grieves me much to
stop here and confe ss with a nec essary hone sty
that t h is was but a sorry circus gauged by the
conventional standards ; else I suppose it had
never c om e to Tiverton at all Th e circu s folk
had evidently dre ssed for travelling n o t for
us
The chariots some o f the m still hooded
in canvas were very small and tarnishe d
T here were but thre e elephants two cam e ls
an d a most m eagre display of those
alluring
,

ST ROLLERS

IN

T I VERT O N

85

e ye

ca g e s made to afford even the careless

sudden quickening glimpse of restless tawn y

form o r slothful hulk within Yet why depre
ciate the raw material whereo f F ancy has power
divine t o build her altogether perfect heights ?
Here was the plain homely setting o f ou r
plainer live s and right into the midst o f it had
com e th e East
The elephants affe cted u s
most 3 we probably thought little about th e
imme morial mystery the vague occult tradi
tion wrapp ed in that mouse colore d hide 3 but
even to ou r dense Western i magination such
q uickening suggestion was vividly apparent
We knew ou r world 3 usually i t seeme d t o u s
the only o n e eve n when we looke d at the stars
But at least on e other had bee n created and
before us appeared its visible sign m y l o rd
th e elephant ! There he was swaying along
conscious philosopher conscious might yet
h o lding his omniscience in t h e b a ckground and
ke eping a wary eye o ut for the peanuts with
which we simple country souls had not provide d
ourselves There was on e curious thing about
it all We had see n the circus at Su d l e igh as
I have said yet the fact o f entertaining it within
s ee m exactly as if we had
ou r borders made it
never laid eyes upon it be fore This was ou r
caravan and God A l mighty had created the
elephant for us D illy Joyce slipp ed her hand
quickly in mi n e and pressed it hard
S he w a s
,

M E AD O W GRASS

286

quite pale Y et it w a s she who acted upon

the rst practical thought She recovered h er
self before my lord went by took a ginger
cookie fro m her pocket and put it into Davie
Tolman s hand

Here s h e said pushing him forward you

H e ll take it Se e 1
go an offer it to him

1
h e don t
Davi e acce pted the missi o n with j oy and p er
sisted in it until he found himself close beside
that swaying bulk and s aw the long trunk curved
enticingly to ward him T h en he uttered o n e
explosive howl and fell back on the very toes
of u s who were pressing fo rward to partake by
right of sympathy in the little drama
Lordy Massy keep still
cried ou t N ance
P ete 3 and she snatched him up bodily and held
him out to the elephant
I believe m y o wn
pang at that mome nt to have been g e n eral I
forgot that elephants are not carnivorous and
shuddered back under the expectation of se e
ing D avie d evoured hide and hair But N ance
had the addre ss to sti ffen the little arm and
my lord took the cookie still clutche d in th e
despairing hand and passed o n
Then Davie
wiped his eyes after p e eping stealthily about to
s e e whether any o n e was disposed to j e e r at him
and took such courage that he posed ever after
as the hero o f the day
T he pr oc e s sion had n e arly passe d u s whe n
.

M EAD O WGRASS

288

My soul an body ! ej aculated a woman

I hope they don t fo rgi t to loc k them cage s

up ! Folks git awful careless when they do a
thin g every day ! I forgot t o shet u p th e hins
last we ek an that w a s the night the skunk go t

1n

I m glad B r a d brought his gun

said
another in the tone o f o n e who would have
crossed he rself had there be en a saint to help
And therea fter we kept s o thickly about Brad
walking with h i s long fre e stride that his prog
ress becam e imped e d and h e almost fell over
S uddenly from the front a m an s voice
us
rose in an imperative c ry

Turn round turn rou n d

w
a
uite
evide
ntly
the
m
andate
addressed
s
!
t o u s and we turne d i n a mass e eing back into
F o r a mom ent it was
S u d l ei gh s very arms
like S parta and Persia striving 1n the Pass ;
then S u d l e igh turned also such as were o n foot
and ed with u s We pressed u p the bank as
soon as we could colle ct ou r errant wits 3 som e
o f us with a sense of coming calamity mount e d
th e very wall and ther e we had a moment to
look about us Th e caravan was ke eping s t ead
ily on like fate and taxes and facing it stood a
carryall attached to a frightened hors e On th e
front seat erect in her accu stomed maj esty sat
A unt M e lissa Adams 3 and U n c le Hiram ever a
humble charioteer was by her side Th e y t o o

STROLLERS I N TI V ERTO N

28

had driven out to se e the circus but alas ! it

h a d not struck th e m that they might meet it
midway with no volition o f drawing up at the
side of the road and allowing it to pass Th e
o l d horse hardened to the vicissitude s of many
farming seasons had necessarily no acquaint
ance with the wild be asts o f the Orient ; no
past experience tucked away in his wis e old
head could explain the m in the very least H e
plunge d and reared 3 he snorted with fe ar and
Aunt M elissa began t o emit shrieks of such
v olume and quality that th e mangy lion com
posing himself to sleep in his cage rose and
sent forth a cry that Tiverton will long reme m
ber We did not stop to explain ou r fo r e b o d
ings but we were sure that in som e mysterious
way A unt Melissa was doomed and that s h e
had brought her misfortune on herself A second
Daniel she had no special integrity to sta n d
her in ne ed
And still the circus advance d
and the horse snorte d and backed H e was a
gaunt ol d beast but in his terror one mom e n t
b e lief
His
o f beau t y dignied him beyond
head was high his eyes were starting

T urn round ! cried the men but Uncle

Hiram was paralyzed and the reins lay supine
in his hands while h e screame d a wheezy

Whoa !
T hen Brad Freeman as usual in
cases outs i d e precedent becam e the good ang e l
He force d his gun o n the p erson
o f Tiverton
,

I9

M E AD O WGRASS

2 90

nearest at hand who prov e d to be N ance

P ete
and dash ed forward S e izing the fright
ened horse by the head he cramped the wheel
scientically and turned him round Then h e
gav e him a smack on the ank and the carryall
we nt re eling and swaying back into Tiverton
the a m n t ee u r r zer o f the circus You should
have he ard Aunt Melissa s account o f that rid e
an epic mome nt which s h e treasu red in awe t o
the day of he r de ath
According to her it
aske d no odds fr o m the wild huntsman o r the
Gabriel hounds Well we cowards c am e down
fro m t he wall assuring each other w i th voic e s
still shaking a little that we k n ew it was nothing
after all and that nobody but Aunt M e lissa
would make such a fuss H ow sh e did holler
we said with conscious prid e in o u r ow n self
possession when brought into unexp e ctedly close
relatio n s with wild beasts 3 a n d we trudged hap
pily along through the dust stirre d by alien
trampling back to Tiverton Stre et and down
into Brad Fre eman s e ld
It would hardly be
possible to describe our j oy in watching the
operation o f tent raising nor o u r pride in B rad
Freeman when h e assumed t h e character of
host and not only made the circus folk fre e o f
the ground they had hired but hurried here and
the re helping with such address and muscular
vigor that we felt defrauded in never having
know n h o w accomplishe d h e really was The
.

M E AD O W GRASS

fascination A savory smell arose to he av en I

never w as s o h u ngry in my life and I believe all
Tiverton would ow n to the sam e craving Per
haps some wild instinct sprang up in us with
the scent o f m eat in o u t door air but at any
r a te w e b ecam e much exhilarated and o u r
attention was only turned from the beguiling
c hops by Mrs Wilson s saying in a low tone t o
her husband

L othrop if there ain t Lu c i n dy an that

Molly M c N e i l with her 1 What s Lu ci n d y got ?
My sake alive you might ha known she d do
su t hi n to m ake anybody wish they d stayed t o
hom e
I f y ou can git n ear her you keep a
tight holt on h e r o r she ll b e j u m p i n through a

1
hoop
I turned with the re st Ye s th ere was Miss
Lu c in d y tripping happily across the level eld
Molly M c N e i l hastened beside h er and betwe en
them the y carried a large clothes basket over
owi n g with aming oran ge red 3 a basket
heape d with sunset not the dawn
They were
very n ear m e when I gue ssed what it w a s ; so
near that I could see the happy smile on
Lu c i n d y s parted lips and note how high th e
rose ush had risen in h e r delicate c he ek with
happine ss and haste
broke o u t a voice ne ar m e in
S t o rt i on s
virile scorn
N ance Pete s
Jes
s t o rt i on s
like her ! Better picke d em a mess o p ease
.

STROLLERS

T I VERT O N

IN

293

It was indeed a basket o f red nasturt i ums

and the su n had touched them into a glory l ike
his ow n
For on e brief moment we were

ashamed o f Lu c i n d y s sh al l e rn e s s and i r r e l e
but the circus people interpr e t e d h e r
va n c y ;
better They rose from box and hamper where
they had be en listlessly awaiting th e ir tardy
breakfast and crowd e d forward t o me et h er
They kn e w through the comradeship o f all
Bohemia exactly w h at s h e meant

My 1 said Miss Lu c i n d y smiling full at

them as th e y came her o l d s e t smile had
been touched within a year by som e thing glad

and free
set em down now Molly My !
are you the folks ? Well I thought you d s e e m
different som e how but anyway we brought you
over a fe w blooms
We thought you couldn t
have much time movin round so to work in
your ga r d in s especially the things you have to
s ow every year
Yes dear ye s
T ake a good
handful H ere s a little mignonette I put in
the bottom so t everybody could have a spr i g
Yes there s enough for th e m e n t o o Why
yes help yourself ! Law dear why don t you

take off your veil ? Hot as this is ! for th e

bearde d lady closely masked in black a r ge
had come forward and hungrily stretch ed ou t a
great hand for he r share
We neve r knew how it all happ ened but dur
ing this clamor o f happy voices the chops were
,

M EAD O WGRA SS

2 94

cooked and the coffe e boil e d 3 the circus peo

ple turne d about and trooped into th e t e nt
where the table s were s e t and they took Miss
Y e s the y did 1 Molly
Lu c i n d y with them
M c N e i l stayed cont e nt e dly outside 3 for though
s h e had brought h e r share o f the treasure quite
evidently sh e considered herself a fri e ndly helper
not a partner in the scheme
But Miss Ln
cindy w a s the q ueen o f the carnival We heard
o n e girl s a y to another as o u r ecce n tric to w ns
woman swept past us in th e eager crowd
Oh
the dear o l d thing !
We saw a s a d e ye d girl
bend forward lift a string o f Miss Lu c i n d y s
a pron !w hich we felt should h ave been left
behind in the kitch e n ) and give it a hearty kiss
L ater when by little groups we peeped into
the dining t e nt we saw Miss Lu c i n d y sitting
there at th e table b etwe en two women who
e v idently thought h er the very nicest person
that had ever crossed th e ir wanderi n g track
There sh e was an untouched roll and chop on
h er plat e a cu p of coffee by h e r side She was
not talking S he only smile d happily at those
who talke d to her and h e r eye s shone v ery
bright We were asham ed 3 I confe ss it F o r
was not S u d l e i gh also there t o see ?

Oh my soul ! exclaimed Mrs Wilson in

fretful undertone
I wish the ol d Judge was
here
H er h u sband t u rned and looked at her and
,

M EAD OW
GRASS

6
9

ever it passed the counter where barrels o f fre e

spring water had been set And then at the
rst possible mom ent we paid our fe e and
went inside the tent to s e e the animals That
scrubby m enag e ri e had n o t gained in dig n ity
from its t ra n s fe rr e n ce to canvas walls The
enclosure was very h o t and stuffy 3 there was a
smell o f dust and straw T he lion stretched
himself fro m time to time and gave an angry
roar for savag e long lost j oys One bear surely
new to th e business kept walking up and down
u p and down m oaning in an a b andon o f home
sickne ss
Brad Fre eman stood before the cage
when I was the re

Say Brad
said the Crane b oy slippin g
his arm into the hunter s in a good fellowship

sure to be r e ciprocated
D avie Tolman said
you s goin to fetch ov e r your fox an sell him

to the circus B e y o u ?
My Lord
answered Brad very violently
for him the ever tol e rant
N 0 ! I m goin to

l et hi m go L e ah a t th a t !
An d while the
C rane boy unconcerned y e t puzzl e d gave his
full attention to the bear B rad passed o n
T here was a wolf I rem embe r darting about
his cage slinking furtive ever on a futil e prowl
H e espe cially e n gaged the intere st o f Tom
M c N e i l w h o said admiringly as I too looked
through the bars A in t he a prompt littl e cuss ?
I felt that with Tom it was the fascination o f
-

STRO LLERS I N TI V ERTON

97

opposite s 3 h e neve r could understand su p e rl a

tive energy
Just as we were trooping into the larg e r tent
there
we
re
no
t
h
ree
rings
I
beg
to
say
mali
!
c i ou s l
!
calculate
d
to
distract
the
attention
y
One of a goodly size was q uite enough for us
a little voice pipe d up Th e snak e s got loose
How we surged and panted and fought o n e
another for our sacred lives
In vain were we
urged t o stand still ; we strove the more And
when a bit o f rope perversely and maliciously
coiled itself round Rosa Tolman s ankl e sh e
gave a shrie k so loud and despairing that it u n
did us ane w If Sheri ff Holm e s had not com e
forward and sworn at us I believe we should
have trampled o n e another o u t of existenc e 3
but he se emed so palpably the embodiment of
authority and his oath the oath undoubtedly
selected by legislature for that very occasion
that we paused and on the passionate assever
ation o f a circus man that the snake was safely
in his cage consented to be calm But Aunt
Melissa Adams unstrung by h e r earli e r e xp eri
ence would trust no doubtful circumstance
S he plodded back into the animal t e nt assured
hers e lf with her own e yes of the snak e s pres
ence at his own hearthstone and came bac k
satis ed just as the clown e nt e red th e ring
The performance needs no bush We had pal m
leaf fans o ffered us pop corn and pink lemon
.

M EAD OW
GRASS

8
9

ade We sweltered under the blazing canvas

laugh ed at the clown s musty fooling which de
served rather the reverence due old age and
wondered between whiles if the r e would be a
shower and if tent poles were e v er struck T hen
it was all over and we trailed out in great bod
ily discomfort and spiritual j oy to witne ss quite
u nlooked for the most vivid drama o f the day
Young Dana Marden was there h e and h i s
wife who lived down in Tiverton Hollow D ana
was a nephe w o f Josh o f hapless m emory and

folks said that like Josh he had

all the

Marden setness once git him ril e d

But Mary
Worthen had not be en in the least afraid o f
that when s h e marri e d him
B efore their
engagement some o n e had casually mentione d
D ana s having inherited setness for his pat
.

r im on y

I know it sh e sai d
and if I had any
thing to do with him I d break him of it or
I d break his neck
Tiverton had be en very considerat e in never
rep eating that speech to D ana 3 and his wife in
all their ve years of marri e d life had not ful
lle d h er threat As we were making re ady to
leave the grounds that day and those who had

horses were t a c k l i n up
we became aware
that Dana a handsome solid fresh colored fe l
l o w s a t in his wagon with pr e tty Mary beside
him and that they evidently had no intention o f
,

M E A D OWGRASS

00

could hear I guess that b oss 0 yourn s gittin

a mi t e balky I ll lead him a step if you s a y

so
And without a word o f assent from Dana
h e guided the horse o u t o f the grounds and
started him o n th e road We watched the
divided couple o n th e ir common way Dan a
was driving it is tru e 3 but w e kn e w with a he avy
c ertainty that he was n o t speaki n g to h i s wife
He was a Marden and nothing would make him
speak
T his S light but very signicant episode sent
u s home in a soberer mind than any o f us had
anticipated after the gaudy triumphs o f the day
We could not quell our curiosity ove r the u pshot
o f it all and that n ight after the chores were
done we s a t in the darkne ss intersp ersing ou r
comments on the spa n gled butteries o f horse
and hoop with an a wed question now and then

while th e minute hand sped

S pose they ve
spoke yit ?
Alas the prevai l ing voice was still against it 3
and when we went to market and m et th e re the
p e ople from the Hollow !who were somewhat
more bucolic than we ) they passed about the
op en secret Dana did not sp eak to his wife
Again we knew he never would Th e summer
waned 3 the cows were turned into th e shack

and the most for e handed among us began t o

cut boughs fo r banking up the house and set
afoot other preparations for winter s cold Still

STRO LLERS I N TI V ERTON

301

Dana had not spoken But the effect on Mary

was inexplicable to us all We knew s h e loved
him deeply and that the habits o f th e ir rela
t i o n sh i p were very tender ; we expected her to
sink and fail under th e burd e n o f this sudden
exile of th e heart j ust as Ly d d y Ann had done
so many years ago But Mary held her head

high and kept h e r color S he even

we nt
abroad more than usual ; ostentatiously so we
thought for S h e would com e over to Tiv e rton
to pass the afternoon after the good ol d fash
i o n e d style with wom en whom she knew but
slightly
A nd most incredible o f all though
D ana would not speak to her sh e spoke to him
Onc e in driving past I heard her clear voice !it
seeme d now a dauntless voic e
calling

Dana dinner 5 ready !

Dana dropped
the board he w as carrying and went in a e rce
y e t dogge d look upon his fac e as if it needed
hourly schooling to mirror his hard heart Then

the agent o f th e S u d l e igh Star who was can

v a s s i n g for a new domestic paper had also his
story to tell He went t o the Mardens and
Mary who admitted him put down h e r name
and then cal l ed blithely into the kitchen

D ana I m all out 0 change Will you

hand me a dollar n a quarter ?

D ana ushed re d and overwhelmed b y a
pitiable e mbarrassment c am e t o the door and
gav e the money ; and Mary with that proud
.

M EAD OW
GRASS

9
2
3

unconsciousness which made us wonder anew

every time we s aw it in her thanked him and
dismisse d the visitor as if nothing were wrong
T he couple went as u sual to church and sociable
C ertain lines d eepened in Dana s face but Mary
grew e v ery day more light heartedly ch eerful
Yet th e o n e sided silenc e lived with the terrible
tenacity o f evil
S o t h e days went on until mid w inter snows
began to blow and then we learned with a
thrill o f pride that the Interna tional D ramatic
Company pro po se d coming t o ou r o w n little
hall for a two we eks e n gagement S ome said
S u d l e igh Opera House was t o o large for it
and t o o expensive 3 but we th e wiser hea d s
were grandly aware that with unusual acumen
th e drama had at l a st recognized the true e m
i
o
r
u
m
o
f
taste
We
resolved
that
this
discrim
p
i n a t i n g c ompany should n o t repent its choice
A week be for e the great rst night magni cent
posters in red and blue set before us in very
choice English the dramatic p erforman ces

S hakesp earean and othe rwise

desti n ed to
take plac e am ong u s The leading parts w e re
t o be assum ed by Mr and Mrs V an R e n s el l a e r
Wilde
two o f the foremost artists in the stellar

world supported by an ad e quate company

T he announcement ended with the i n sin u a t

ing alliteration
Popular pr i ce s prevail
Th e
very rst night we were at the door a n excited
,

M EAD OWGRASS

3 04

ing the platform you were in the seats of the

scornful thirty ve c ents each The latter by
comm on consent were e schewed by the ve ry
rst comers n o t alone for reasons of thrift but
be cause we thought they ought to be left for ol d

folks
a le etle mite hard 0
o r the
unfortunates who were not so fur sighted as
we S o we seated ourselves in del i ght already
begun for w a s n ot Mr Gad Gr e eneld per

forming one o f the orchestral pieces which

the program me had led u s to expect ? The
piano was an antique accu stomed to se rve as
vi c tim at S u d l e igh s dancing
school and socia
b les I hav e never heard its condition d e
scribed o n its return to S u d l e igh 3 I only
know that from some e ccentric partiality Gad
Sally
G r e en e l d s music was all f o r tzr r z m o
Flint brought thither by the m uch enduring
overseer for the sake o f domestic p eace
se eme d to be the only o n e who did not regard
Gad s p erformance with unquestioning awe
S he w a s he ard to say aloud in a penetratin g
voice
M y sou l an body what a racket
Where u pon she d eliberately pulled som e wool
from th e tassel o f her chinchilla cloud and
stuffed a little wad into each ear We were
sorry for the overseer thus put to sham e by his
untutored charge and delicately looked away

after making sure Sally had r ared as h i gh as

,

'

'

STRO LL ERS IN TI V E RTON

0
3

p ro p o sed doing She w as the overse e r s

cross 3 no one could help hi m b ear it
And now th e curtain went u p though n ot
On slighter j oys
on the play let me tell y o u
a l l ip t o the taste A juggler all complete
i n black small clothe s and white kid gloves
stood there ready t o burn up ou r h an d k er
chiefs change ou r watches into rab b its and
make omelets in our best go to me eting hats
I cannot remembe r all the wonderful thin g s he
did !everything I b elieve j udging from the
roseate glow left in m y mind everything that
juggler ever achieved short of the Hi n doo mar
vel of cutting up maidens and S plicing th e m
together again or planting the magic tree ) 3 I
only know we were t oo crafty to he l p him
a nd though he again and again implored a vol
u n t e e r from the audience t o co me and play the
willing victim we clung t o ou r settees the more
so that Gad o f the piano w a s obliged t o ll the
gap And when the curtain came d o wn and
went up again on a drawing room with a red
plush chair in it and a lady dre ssed in a long
taile d white satin gown where were we ? I n
Tiverton ? Nay in the great world o f fashion
a nd of crime I remember very little n ow
about the order o f the plays 3 very little o f their
names and drift I only know we were swe pt
triumphantly throug h the widest range ever
imagined since the pastoral comical historical
sh e

20

9
3

M EAD OW GRASS

pastoral
of ol d Polonius
And i n all fat
middle age d Wilde w a s the dashing hero th e
deep dyed villain ; and his wife middle aged
a s he and far o h far more corpulent ! played
the lovely heroine the blooming victim the
que e n o f hearts A nd sh e was truly beautiful
to u s that b lowsy d a me through the beguiling
witchery o f her art The smarting tears came

into our eyes when in C aste sh e staggered

back despairing lost i n grief unable to arm
her soldier for the mar c h
M elodrama was h e r
j oy and as we watched her lumbering about the
stage in a white muslin dre ss with the articial
springine ss o f a youth that would n ever re turn
we could have risen as on e man to snatch her
from th e toils o f villany S he was a cool piece
that swiftly descending star ! S he had a way
o f deliberately stepping outside the scenes and
letting down her thin blac k hair before the
tragic moment ; th en would s h e bound back
again and tear e v ery passion t o tatters in good

In The Octoroon e sp e
ol d fashioned style
tore our h earts with it so that it
c i al l y sh e
almost began to seem as if political issue s were
imminent For bet w een the acts m en b ent
forward to their n eighbors and put their he ads
together recalling abolition times ; an d one
poor harmless o l d farmer from S u d l e igh way
was glared at in a fashion to which he had o n ce
be e n painfully accustom ed while murmurs of
,

M EAD OWGRASS

8
3
9

Othello himself was a veiled mystery in our

eyes

Ain t he colored ? whispered Mrs Wilson

t o m e 3 and while I he sitate d seeking to frame
an answer both terse and true sh e continued
although he w a s at th a t moment impressing the
S enate with his great apology
I s h e fre e ?
I assured her o n that point and s h e settled
down t o a trou b led study of the part only t o
run hopele ssly aground when D esdemona in her
stiff white satin gown anno u nced h er intention
of cle aving to the robust blackamoor in spite o f
fate and father That see med a praiseworthy

action
t a ken by an d large but we could not

altogether applaud it
Abolition as we were
the de ed wounde d s o m e rac e prejudice in us
and Mrs Hiram Cole voiced the gene ral sen
t i m e n t when sh e re marked audibly
One color 5 as go od as another c ome Judg
m e n t D ay b ut l e t e m m a rry among themselve s
.

sa y

The povert y of the scenery had something to

d o with ou r dulness in following the dr a matic
thread for h ow should we know that our ow n
little stage disguised by a slender tree growth
was the island o f Cypru s and that D esdemona
tripping through a doorway in th e sam e satin
gown had j ust arrived from a long and perilous
voyage ?
The rich es o f the ship had come

but for all we knew it had been i n

o n shore
,

STRO L LERS IN TI V ERTON

0
3

the next room taking a nap all the while

In
the crucial scene between C assio and Iago we
on e was as drunk a s
th
e
impression
that
o
t
g
the other and that Cassio acted the better
man o f the two chiey because o f his gra n d i l o
qu e nt apostrophe relative t o the thieving o f
brains
We appro v ed o f that and looke d
meaningly round at old Cap n Fuller w h o w a s
at that time taking more hard cider than we
consid ered good fo r him But when the nal
catastrophe came we having missed the logical
se q uence were totally u n prepare d Mr Wilde
with a blackamoor fury irre sistibly funny t o one
w h o h a s se en a city coal man cursing another
for n ot moving on smothere d his shrieking
spouse in a pillow brought over fo r that purpose
from t h e Blaisdells wher e most o f the actors
were boarding We were n ot inclined t o en
dure this quietly The more phlegmatic among
u s moved uneasily in our se ats and on e o r t w o
m en excitable beyond the ordinary sprang up
with an oath M r s Wilson dragge d h er h u s
band down again

she urged
F o r massy sake do se t still !
H e ain t killed her Don t you se e the m to es
,

tw it ch i n

N o M r s Wilde w a s not de ad as her weary

a pp earance in the afterpi ec e attested 3 but she
had be en cru elly abused and the murmurs
her e and there as we left the hall went far t o
,

M EAD O WGRASS

10

show that Oth e llo had done w e l l in voluntarily

paying the debt o f nature and that E milia
thought none too ill o f him

Ought to ha b een strung up by good

You can t nd a
rights growled Tiverton
j ury t would a q u i t h i m !
Night after night we conscie n tiously sat ou t
th e aforesaid afterpiece innocently supposed
to be our due because it had formed a part o f
the initial p erformance
H oweve r long o u r
weary strollers might delay it i n the empt y
hop e of ou r going hom e content there we
waited until th e curtain went up It was a
dreary piece o f business varied by horse play
c onsidered kind 0 rough by even the more
boisterous among us Sometim e s it was given
minstrel wise in the tim e ho n ored panoply o f
burnt cork 3 again p oor weary souls ! they
lack e d e v en th e spirit to blac k en thems e lv e s
and clinging to th e sam e dialogue played boldly
in C aucas i an fairness with the pathetically futil e
disguis e o f a T euton accent And last o f all
Mr Wilde would appear b efore t h e curtain and

in behalf o f Mrs Wilde self and co mpany

thank u s movingly fo r o u r kind attention and
announc e the next night s bill
T he last half hour was my c hosen tim e for
leaning back against the wall and allowing
thought and glance to dw e ll lovingly on Tiverton
faces
O worn and rugged feature s o f the
,

M E AD OW
GRASS

12

her o w n rapt self w a s D ana Marden ;

b ut he c a me alo n e Mary had a cold we he ard

and
thought she d better stay in
Dana
s at
through the foolish play unmoved H i s
brow loomed heav y like Tragedy s ow n mask
and it grew ever blacker while the scene went
on
Hiram C ole whispered m e
He 11 kill himself afore h e s don e with it
H e 5 gone in for the whole h og but he ain t
gr o we d to it a s Old J osh had Th e Marden

b lood run e mptin s afore it got t o him

T he last n ight c am e o f all o ur blissful inter
lu d e and o n that night by some stroke of fate
the bill w a s Oliver Twist
O f that perform
anc e let naught be spoke n save in reverenc e
F o r by divine le ading it might se e m and n o t
thei r ow n good wit tho s e poor players h ad
b een briey touche d b y th e one true re
Shakespe are had bec k oned them and they
had passed him by ; C omedy an d Tragedy
had bee n their inn o c ent sport H ow funn y
t h e ir tragedy had be e n h ow s a d their comedy
Momu s only might tell But to night som e
gleaming wave from a greater s e a had lifted
the m and borne them on
Still they played
j arringly for that was their untutored wont
Their speech roared loud deanc e t o gram
mar s idle s aws their costumes w e re absurd
remnants o f an anti q ue past 3 but a certain
rud e and homely dignity had t ran s gu r e d the m,
l e sq u e d

ST RO LLER S

IN

T I VERT O N

3 3
1

and envelop ed too this poor drama which

a fter all goes very deep down to the springs
There was a dirty and wicked
o f life and love
abomination o f a F agin Wilde himself playe d
S ykes and we o f Tiverton who know little
about th e formless monster dwelling under the
garnished pavement o f every great city and
rising once in a century o r so to send red riot

and ruin through the streets

even we could
read the story of his word and glance U n c o n
sc i o u sl y to ourselves we guessed at Whitechapel

and the East End

tough
and shuddered
under th e knowledge o f evil Mrs Wilde her
heavy face many a S hade sincerer than when
was Nancy 3
s h e walked in dirty white satin
and in her death culminated the grand moment
o f Tiverton s looking the drama in the face
and seeing it for what it is the living sister
S yke s really killed her alarmingly
o f l ife itself
well R ound the stage he dragged her bruised
and speechless with such cruel realism that we
wom en crouched and shivered 3 and whe n S he
staggere d to h e r kne es and told her pitiful lie
fo r th e brute s h e loved the general shudder o f
worship and horror thrilled u s into a mighty
reverenc e for the tie stronger than death and
h ell binding the woman to the m an and lifti n g
W ith
L ove triumphant o n his cross o f pain
Nancy s nal sigh another swep t through th e
h all like breath among the trees a nd drawn
,

M EAD OWGRASS

3 4
I

by what thre ad I kno w not I looked about

m e and all unwittingly was present at anoth e r
great last act
D ana Marden and his wife
were in front o f m e not thre e seats away
Mary was very pale and s a t quite motionless
looking down into her lap 3 but D ana bent
forward gripping the seat in front o f him with
white and straining hands
His fac e drawn
and knotted was a mirror o f such anguish a s
few of us imag ine ; we only learn its power
when it steals upon us in the dark and our
souls wre stle with it fo r awful m astery
He
seemed t o be su fferi n g an extremity o f physical
pain After that I gave little he ed to the stage
I was only conscious that th e curtain had
gone down and that Mr Wilde was thanking u s
for our kind attention and e xpre ssing a a t t e r
ing hop e that another year would nd him
again in our midst We did n o t want th e
farc e that night even as our rightful due We
got up and le d ou t in silence
I was just
behind Dana an d Mary ; so near that I could
h ave touched him when h alf way down the
hall he put o u t a clum sy hand and drew her
shawl closer about her shoulders T hen h e set
his fac e straight forward again but not b e fore I
had noticed how the lips were twitching still
in that dumb protest against the fetters of his
b irth Again h e turned to her as suddenly as
if a blow had forced his face about I heard
,